Ogbanje Nigeria Air was a hustle for the boys

Nigeria Air was still-birthed because it was never meant to reach parturition in the first place. It was a grand scam. A cash-out for the boys; though I fell for it.

When Hadi Siriki, minister of aviation, displayed a nondescript logo announcing that Nigeria Air would launch in December, I became seized by national fervour. In my rapture, I praised the government and the minister for attempting to revive the “national pride”.

A week later, when I had fed myself enough information on the hoax, I became crestfallen. I stopped commenting on the illusion. But I was too ashamed to pillory my earlier effusive outpourings.

It became evident to me that the Nigeria Air dream was a hustle for the boys. Yes. How do you explain the outsourcing of the logo design of the scam airline to a briefcase company in Bahrain for $600,000 while there is an abundance of super-creative graphic designers in Nigeria? How do you explain the “unveiling” of the ogbanje airline in the UK with millions of naira spent on accessories, flight tickets, hotels, souvenirs and publicity?

The fact is, millionaires have emerged from this scam, just as some “fast” persons became millionaires from the Forex volatility snag of 2015. Some group of highly-connected people, their cronies, families, concubines and side-chicks have all ate “nkwobi” and drank Ciroc from this heist. Yes, there are people who benefit from government’s confusion.

I have accepted my fate of being a dupe; a victim of government’s grand scam. But next time, I will be very careful in expending my credibility on the government’s projects or plans.

However, I must say the government took a sagacious decision in terminating the project before a shameful turn-out. The project was just one of ego; there was no commercial outline to it. It was already doomed to fail.

But this makes me wonder the cognitive stuff of the thinkers in the government. Was the project not thought through in the first place? Were assessments of its viability not made initially? Was it all for show and propaganda?

This is a downer for the government; a self-incurred one.

Seriously, it raises doubts about the government’s other projects and plans. Are they ogbanje projects too?

There should be a limit to government’s trickery and propaganda.

Fredrick is a media personality.

He can be reached on Facebook: Fredrick Nwabufo, Twitter: @FredrickNwabufo