Court of Appeal Clears Path for Reinstatement of Sacked NCAA Worker After 11-Year Legal Battle
The Court of Appeal in Lagos has dismissed an application by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), removing the final legal obstacle to the enforcement of a judgment that ordered the reinstatement of a former employee, Mrs. Annastasia Anukwa.
In a ruling delivered on April 23, 2026, a three-member panel comprising Justices Folasade Ojo, Muslim Hassan, and Polycarp Kwahar struck out the NCAA’s motion for want of diligent prosecution. The court noted that despite being served with a hearing notice on April 20, 2026, the applicant’s counsel failed to pursue the motion, which had been filed on March 19, 2025.
The appellate court’s decision upholds an earlier judgment by the National Industrial Court in Uyo, delivered on December 13, 2024, which declared Mrs. Anukwa’s dismissal unlawful and ordered the NCAA to reinstate her with full payment of outstanding salaries, allowances, and entitlements.
Mrs. Anukwa’s legal battle began in November 2015 when she sued the NCAA, challenging the termination of her employment. She sought declarations that her appointment enjoyed statutory protection, that her dismissal was void, and an order for reinstatement plus arrears of salary and damages.
The claimant told the court she joined the NCAA on July 30, 2001, rising to the position of Assistant Chief Accountant on Grade Level 13, Step 08, with consistently excellent performance ratings. The dispute, she said, arose from issues related to her redeployment and deferred annual leave. She maintained that she was wrongly accused of absconding from duty and dismissed without due process.
The NCAA argued that she had disobeyed a redeployment directive, bypassed reporting channels, and absented herself from work without approval.
In its judgment, the National Industrial Court rejected the NCAA’s position, holding that the claimant was neither properly queried nor subjected to the disciplinary procedures outlined in the NCAA’s conditions of service before her dismissal. Justice S. Danjidda ruled that the NCAA, as a statutory body established under the Civil Aviation Act, operates under conditions of service that have the force of law, thereby conferring statutory protection on Mrs. Anukwa’s employment.
The court declared the dismissal null and void, ordered her reinstatement, and directed the NCAA to pay all withheld salaries and entitlements. All reliefs sought by the claimant were granted except her claim for litigation costs.
Despite the 2024 judgment, Mrs. Anukwa, through a petition to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, complained that the NCAA had yet to fully implement the court’s orders. She urged the minister to intervene and ensure compliance.
With the Court of Appeal’s latest ruling, enforcement of the reinstatement order can now proceed.