Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has declared interest in contesting the Katsina North Senatorial Seat in the 2027 election.
Sirika announced his intention to run for the Senate seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Recall that Sirika has blamed the failure of the proposed Nigeria Air on the activities of some domestic operators, under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).
The former Minister insisted that the process for setting up the airline was transparent and passed through the Federal Executive Council (FEC), and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). He, however, added that Air Peace, Azman, and United Nigeria Airlines hindered the establishment due to the limited stake Nigeria would have had.
Sirika, who made the submission during a television interview, also disclosed that, contrary to some reports that around ₦100 billion was spent on the process, the total budget for the national carrier was ₦5 billion, and the total amount released was ₦3 billion.
Sirika stated that a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines was in place because no domestic carrier had the capacity to compete with the mega carriers, but some local airlines went to court to challenge the plans, which eventually stalled the entire process for the now ill-fated Nigeria Air.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Sirika for alleged abuse of office and award of contracts worth billions of naira to his relatives during his tenure as aviation minister.
