Nigeria Air Sale To Ethiopian Airlines Is Blocked by Court

The sale of Nigeria Air Ltd. to Ethiopian Airlines was ruled unlawful by the Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, on Monday.

In his ruling to halt the sale, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa directed that the Federal Government’s planned creation of Nigeria Air as a national carrier not be implemented.

The plaintiffs, the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and five other aviation sector participants, requested relief, and the judge granted it.

According to Justice Lewis-Allagoa, all of the requested reliefs have been granted, with the exception of the relief seeking ₦2 billion in damages for the harm the Plaintiffs endured as a result of their improper exclusion and actions, including the illegal bidding and selection procedures for the Nigeria Air project.

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 are named as the first through sixth plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The claim was launched by the six plaintiffs against the Federal Ministry of Aviation, Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines, Senator Hadi Sirika, the former Minister of Aviation, and the Attorney General of the Federation, the first through fourth defendants.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit requested that the court issue an order annulling the approval, grant, or selection of Ethiopian Airlines by the former minister Hadi Sirika and the former attorney general of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as well as the entire bidding and selection process(es) for the “Nigeria Air” project.