A Federal High Court in Lagos has halted the sale of Nigeria Air shares to Ethiopian Airlines. The court declared the sale null and void after resolving issues raised in the suit.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ordered that the Federal Government’s plans to establish Nigeria Air be halted. The judgment favored the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and five other aviation industry stakeholders.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, except for the request for N2 billion in damages.
The plaintiffs in the case include:
- Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria
- Azman Air Services Limited
- Air Peace Limited
- Max Air Limited
- United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited
- Topbrass Aviation Limited
The defendants are:
- Nigeria Air Limited
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika
- Federal Ministry of Aviation
- Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami
The plaintiffs challenged the sale and transfer of Nigeria Air shares, alleging irregularities in the bidding process facilitated by the Federal Government. They claimed the process favored Ethiopian Airlines, a foreign entity wholly owned by the Ethiopian Government, and excluded local airlines from participating.
The plaintiffs argued that representatives from the Federal Ministry of Transportation, who hold significant control in Nigeria Air, did not comply with the request for proposal guidelines, leading to the unfair exclusion of local airlines from the bidding process.
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