Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos has mandated the federal government to adjust the pricing of goods and petroleum products in Nigeria within a week from Wednesday, as per Section 4 of the Price Control Act,leadership reports.
The directive was issued during the ruling on a case initiated by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) against the Price Control Board and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF). Falana sought government intervention to regulate the prices of certain items to curb the escalating costs of goods and services nationwide.
Reports indicate that protests erupted in several cities due to the soaring cost of living and perceived governmental inaction.
Specifically, the judge instructed the government to set prices for various items, including milk, flour, salt, sugar, bicycles and their parts, matches, motorcycles and their parts, motor vehicles and their parts, as well as petroleum products such as diesel, petrol, and kerosene.
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The court granted all the requests made by Falana after the respondents failed to respond to the lawsuit following proper notification.
Falana had questioned whether the Price Control Board was fulfilling its obligation under Section 4 of the Price Control Act to establish prices for listed goods. He also sought a declaration that the government was legally bound to set prices for various commodities as outlined in the Act.
Furthermore, Falana requested a court order compelling the government to set prices for these products within seven days of the court’s ruling.
During the proceedings, Falana informed the judge that the case was initiated in May 2023 and that the respondents had been duly served but failed to respond.
In light of the lack of opposition from the respondents, the judge granted all the relief sought by Falana.
Justice Allagoa emphasized that the absence of a counter affidavit meant that all the assertions in the affidavit attached to the initial motion were deemed admitted.
An affidavit supporting the motion, sworn by a lawyer from Falana’s chambers, Taiwo Olawanle, highlighted the Price Control Board’s mandate to regulate prices to maintain price stability, prevent hoarding, and protect consumers from excessive pricing.
