Published By: Paul Dada
5th August, 2024
By Akin Kuponiyi
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on Monday, voided the sale of Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines.
The court declared the sale null and void after determining the issues in the suit. The presiding Judge Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ordered that the Federal Government’s plans to establish a national carrier, Nigeria Air, be halted.
The plaintiffs in the suit were the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and five other aviation industry stakeholders.
Other plaintiffs in the case included Azman Air Services Limited, Air Peace Limited, Max Air Limited, United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited, and Topbrass Aviation Limited.
The defendants were Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines; former Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika, the Federal Ministry of Aviation, and the former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami.
The plaintiffs in the suit challenged the sale and transfer of shares of Nigeria Air.
The Plaintiffs claimed that the bidding process for Nigeria Air, facilitated by the Federal Government of Nigeria, was fraught with irregularities and favoured Ethiopian Airlines, a foreign entity wholly owned by the Ethiopian Government.
They argued that the Federal Ministry of Transportation representatives, who hold significant control in Nigeria Air, failed to comply with the request for proposal guidelines, leading to the exclusion of local airlines from the bidding process.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa in his verdict granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs except for the request for N2 billion damages.
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