The Nigerian government has appealed a Federal High Court judgement ordering the payment of N5billion damages to Ifeanyi Ararume and his reinstatement as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) Chairman.
This was contained in court processes filed in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by a team of lawyers from the Federal Ministry of Justice, led by Tijani Gazali (SAN) before the appeal court claiming that the respondent did not satisfactorily establish why he was entitled to the awarded damages.
Ararume had filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government on September 12 last year, challenging then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s reversal of his appointment as Non-Executive Chairman of the NNPCL in a letter dated January 17, 2022.
Justice Ekwo criticised Buhari’s action in his April 18, 2023 judgement in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1621/2022, ordered Ararume’s restoration, and awarded N5 billion in damages in his favour.
In its notice of appeal, the Nigerian government questioned the Federal High Court’s authority to hear the case, as well as the suit’s competency, saying that it was statute barred.
The government criticised the trial judge for acquiring jurisdiction over the issue, which involves the removal of Ararume’s appointment as Non-Executive Chairman of the NNPCL, in its first ground of appeal.
It maintained that the NIC had exclusive jurisdiction in civil cases relating to labour and employment under the provisions of the National Industrial Court (NIC) Act and Section 254(c) of the constitution.
