The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has mandated the Nigerian government to take immediate action in regulating the prices of essential goods and petroleum products within the next seven days.
This landmark ruling was issued on Wednesday, February 7, following a compelling presentation and argumentation by Femi Falana SAN, a renowned human rights activist.
Justice Ambose Lewis-Allagoa, who presided over the case, emphasized the significance of the court’s intervention, particularly in light of the absence of opposition from the respondents, which included the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Price Control Board. With no counter affidavit filed, all facts presented in the motion were deemed admitted, leading to the granting of all prayers sought in the motion.
He said: “I have had the applicant Femi Falana in a suit no San,FHC/L/CS/869/2023 and I have also discovered that despite the service of the Originating motion on the respondents namely Attorney-General of the Federation and the Price Control Board, no opposition to it by way of counter affidavit, which is law that all the facts deposed in the affidavit attached to the originating motion are all deemed admitted.
The court’s ruling specifically instructed the government to set fixed prices for a range of essential commodities, including milk, flour, salt, sugar, bicycles and spare parts, matches, motorcycles and their spare parts, motor vehicles, and their spare parts. Additionally, it extends to petroleum products such as diesel, petrol motor spirit (PMS), and kerosene, aiming to address the pressing issue of price instability and its impact on the populace.
