Airline operators: Bidding, approval process of Nigeria Air was a sham

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) says the bidding and approval process of Nigeria Air was “a sham”.

In a statement on Tuesday, Abdulmunaf Sarina, AON’s president, commended the judiciary for upholding justice and nullifying the sale of Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines.

Sarina said the court’s orders proved that the bidding and approval process was designed to undermine Nigerian airlines.

“The bold and patriotic declarations and orders made by the court leaves no one in doubt that the entire bidding, approval and so called unveiling processes of the purported national carrier was nothing other than a sham set up to hoodwink Nigerians,” Sarina said.

“It was also a surreptitious plan to kill Nigerian indigenous airlines and handover the commonwealth of Nigeria’s huge aviation market with over 85 Bilateral Air Services Agreements around the world to Ethiopian Airlines.

“We, therefore, thank the court for standing tall in the face of untold pressure from very high quarters.

“For exonerating AON and other well-meaning Nigerian indigenous airlines for going to court to protect the interest of Nigeria as well as proving truly to be the only hope of the common man.”

Sarina also applauded Festus Keyamo, aviation minister, for suspending the Nigeria Air process as earlier planned.

On Monday, a federal high court sitting in Lagos state nullified the sale of 49 percent equity stake in Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines.

Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, the presiding judge, declared the sale null and void after determining the issues in the suit.

Lewis-Allagoa also said the government’s plans to establish the national carrier should be halted.

The judge gave the order while granting the relief sought by the plaintiffs, registered trustees of the AON and five other aviation industry stakeholders.

The plaintiffs had sought an order to nullify the entire bidding and selection process for the Nigeria Air project, as well as the approval and selection of Ethiopian Airlines by the defendants.

The complainants raised concerns about their exclusion from the project and the flawed bidding process.

In 2023, the ministry of aviation, under Hadi Sirika, unveiled Nigeria Air — three days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The development had elicited concerns among stakeholders nationwide over the ownership arrangement, which gave Ethiopian Airlines a 49 percent equity stake.

The government had a 5 percent equity, while a consortium of three Nigerian investors had 46 percent.

Reacting to the deal in June 2023, the house of representatives asked the government to suspend the operations of Nigeria Air, describing it as “a fraud”.

In August 2023, Keyamo announced the national carrier project was suspended until further notice.