Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal Excessive Court docket in Lagos has ordered the federal authorities to repair the worth of products and petroleum merchandise in Nigeria in accordance with Part 4 of the Worth Management Act inside seven days from Wednesday.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa gave the order whereas delivering judgement in a swimsuit filed by a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), in opposition to the Worth Management Board and the Lawyer-Normal of the Federation (AGF), to compel the federal authorities to repair costs of some commodities with the intention to examine excessive value of excellent and companies within the nation.
LEADERSHIP stories that there have been protests in some cities over rising value of residing and authorities’s obvious incapacity to arrest the biting scenario.
The Decide particularly directed the federal authorities to repair the costs of milk, flour, salt, sugar, bicycles and their spare elements, matches, bikes and their spare elements, motor autos and their spare elements, in addition to petroleum merchandise, which embody: diesel, petrol and kerosene.
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The court docket granted all of the reliefs sought by the senior lawyer following the failure of the Respondents within the swimsuit to answer the swimsuit after they have been served by the plaintiff.
Falana had requested the court docket to find out whether or not by Part 4 of the Worth Management Act, the primary Respondent (Worth Management Board) was finishing up its statutory responsibility to impose a value on any good of the sorts specified within the First Schedule to the Worth Management Act.
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He additionally urged the court docket for a declaration that by advantage of Part 4 of the Worth Management Act, the Respondents are below a authorized obligation to repair the costs of bicycles and spare elements; flour; matches; milk; bikes and spare elements; motor autos and spare elements; salt; sugar and petroleum merchandise together with diesel, premium motor spirit (petrol) and kerosene.
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The Applicant (Falana) additional prayed the court docket for a declaration that the failure or refusal of the Respondents to repair the costs of bicycles and spare elements; flour; matches; milk; bikes and spare elements; motor autos and spare elements; salt; sugar and petroleum merchandise together with diesel, petrol and kerosene was unlawful because it offends the availability of Part 4 of the Worth Management Act, Cap, legal guidelines of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
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Falana additionally demanded an order directing the Respondents to repair the costs of the merchandise and commodities not later than seven days after the supply of the judgement of the Honourable Court docket.
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When the case was known as on Wednesday, Falana advised the decide that the case was filed in Might 2023 and that the Respondents had been served with the processes however they’ve refused and did not file any response by the use of counter affidavit.
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He, due to this fact, urged the court docket to grant all of the reliefs sought since there was no objection from the Respondents.
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Justice Lewis-Allagoa, after listening to the senior lawyer, granted all of the reliefs contained within the movement paper as prayed by Falana.
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Justice Allagoa held that, “I’ve heard the applicant, Femi Falana, and I’ve additionally found that regardless of the service of the originating movement on the respondents particularly Lawyer-Normal of the Federation and the Worth Management Board, there’s no opposition to it by the use of a counter affidavit, which in regulation implies that all of the info deposed to within the affidavit connected to the originating movement are all deemed admitted.
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In an affidavit filed in assist of the movement deposed to by a lawyer in Falana’s chambers, Taiwo Olawanle, he said that the primary Respondent, the Worth Management Board, was established by the Worth Management Act, and it’s saddled with the duty to repair value on items to stabilise the final value stage, prevention of hoarding of products, safety of shoppers from exorbitant costs, amongst others.