Court Nullifies Workers Sack, Orders Jimoh Ibrahim To Pay ex-Air Nigeria Staff N474m

Justice J.T Agbadum- Fishim of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria yesterday delivered a judgment that the termination of over 800 workers of defunct Air Nigeria was wrongful. He also ordered the defendant (Air Nigeria) owned by business mogul, Jimoh Ibrahim to pay the claimant the sum of N475, 280, 492.48.

Ibrahim was also ordered to pay them the sum of $309, 270.00 being the claimants’ arrears of salary, just as the defendant was ordered to pay each of the claimants their respective one month salary in lieu of notice.

Also granted by the judge is that the defendant shall calculate each of the claimants’ contributory pension entitlement and pay same to their respective Pension Fund Administrator.

The defendant was ordered to pay N5m cost to each of the claimants, noting that the defendant shall pay to the claimants the judgment sum not later than 30 days from the date of the judgment.

Justice Agbadu-Fishim warned that failure of which all the sum will attract 10 per cent interest.

The plaintiffs represented by Livinus Olisakwe, Roland Ahmed, Odunukwe Christopher, Awonga Israel and Jaja Somiari Dandison, had sued the company, Air Nigeria Development Company Limited and prayed that a declaration that the purported termination of the claimants’ employment by the defendant via media in the face of newspaper was wrongful, unlawful, illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.