By Chinelo Obogo
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has applauded a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the bid for Nigeria Air.
In a statement signed by the chairman of the aviation body, Abdulmunaf Sarina, he described the entire process of approving and unveiling the national carrier as a fraudulent scheme and a sham aimed at crippling domestic airlines and handing over Nigeria’s aviation market to Ethiopian Airlines.
The AON expressed gratitude for the August 5, 2024, ruling by Justice A. Alagoa, which declared the sale shares belonging to Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines illegal. The court found that the government’s actions violated several laws, including the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, and other aviation, investment, and procurement statutes.
The court invalidated the entire bidding process and ordered the revocation of Nigeria Air’s Air Transport License. It also permanently barred the former aviation minister and Ethiopian Airlines from further involvement in the project.
Sarina hailed the judgment as a bold and patriotic act, saying that the process was a deliberate attempt to deceive the public and eliminate competition for Ethiopian Airlines. He thanked the judiciary for resisting pressure and exonerating the AON and other domestic carriers and also commended President Bola Tinubu and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo for suspending the Nigeria Air project.
“The bold and patriotic declarations and orders made by the court today leave no one in doubt. Furthermore, the entire bidding, approval, and unveiling processes of the purported national carrier were a sham set up to hoodwink Nigerians. Moreover, it was a plan to kill Nigerian indigenous airlines and hand over Nigeria’s aviation market to Ethiopian Airlines without investment,” he said.