RismadarVoice Reporters, June 2, 2026
The Court of Appeal in Lagos has dismissed an application filed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), effectively removing a major obstacle to the enforcement of a court judgment that ordered the reinstatement of a former employee whose dismissal was declared unlawful.
The appellate court, sitting with a three-member panel of Justices Folasade Ojo, Muslim Hassan, and Polycarp Kwahar, struck out the application on April 23, 2026, after the aviation agency failed to diligently prosecute the matter.
According to the court, counsel representing the NCAA had been properly served with a hearing notice but did not appear to pursue the application. As a result, the motion filed in March 2025 was dismissed.
The decision strengthens an earlier ruling delivered by the National Industrial Court in Uyo on December 13, 2024, which ordered the reinstatement of former NCAA employee, Mrs Annastasia Anukwa, and directed the agency to pay all outstanding salaries, allowances, and other entitlements withheld following her dismissal.
Despite the judgment, Anukwa reportedly petitioned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, seeking intervention to ensure the aviation regulator complies fully with the court’s orders.
The legal dispute dates back to November 2015 when Anukwa instituted an action against the NCAA, challenging the termination of her employment. She argued that her appointment was protected by statute and that her dismissal violated established procedures governing disciplinary actions within the agency.
In her suit, she sought declarations nullifying the dismissal, an order for her reinstatement, payment of salary arrears and benefits, as well as damages arising from the termination of her employment.
Court records showed that Anukwa joined the NCAA in July 2001 and rose through the ranks to become an Assistant Chief Accountant. She maintained that she had consistently received positive performance evaluations during her years of service.
The dispute, according to her testimony, arose following issues related to a redeployment directive and the postponement of her annual leave. She contended that she was wrongly accused of abandoning her duties and was subsequently dismissed without being afforded due process.
The NCAA, however, argued that the former employee failed to comply with a redeployment directive, bypassed official reporting procedures, and absented herself from work without authorisation.
In its ruling, the National Industrial Court rejected the agency’s arguments, holding that the NCAA failed to follow the disciplinary procedures prescribed under its conditions of service before dismissing the claimant.
The trial court further held that the NCAA, as a statutory agency established under the Civil Aviation Act, is bound by employment regulations that carry the force of law, thereby granting statutory protection to its employees.
Justice S. Danjidda consequently declared the dismissal unlawful and void, ordered Anukwa’s reinstatement, and directed the NCAA to pay all withheld salaries and employment benefits accrued during the period of her dismissal.
While the court granted most of the reliefs sought by the claimant, it declined her request for litigation costs.
With the appellate court’s latest decision dismissing the NCAA’s application, the path has now been cleared for the enforcement of the judgment, bringing an 11-year legal battle closer to a conclusion.
