By Lucy Adautin
The Federal High Court in Lagos has declared the sale of Nigeria Air Ltd to Ethiopian Airlines null and void.
On Monday, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ruled against the proposed establishment of a national carrier, Nigeria Air, by the Federal Government.
The judge granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, which include the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and five other aviation industry players. The order effectively halts the Federal Government’s plan to proceed with the Nigeria Air project.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa granted all the reliefs except for the one seeking ₦2bn in damages for the plaintiffs, who claimed they suffered injury due to their wrongful exclusion and the unlawful bidding and selection processes for the Nigeria Air project.
The plaintiffs in the case include the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators, Azman Air Services Limited, Air Peace Limited, Max Air Limited, United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited, and Topbrass Aviation Limited. They filed the suit against Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines, former Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The plaintiffs requested the court to set aside the entire bidding and selection process for the Nigeria Air project, including the approval and selection of Ethiopian Airlines by the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and the former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
