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By Chinelo Obogo
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the Federal Government to fix the price of goods and petroleum products within seven days.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa granted the order following an originating motion filed by Femi Falana.
Falana had dragged the Attorney General of the Federation and the Price Control Board before the court to determine “whether by virtue of Section 4 (1) of the Price Control Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, the first defendant is carrying out its duty to impose a price on any goods that are of the kind specified in the First Schedule to the Price Control Act.”
In an affidavit in support of the summons taken out by Falana and deposed to by a lawyer, Taiwo Olawanle, he noted that the following commodities: bicycles and its spare parts, flour, matches, milk, motorcycles and its spare parts, motor vehicles and spare parts, salt, sugar and petroleum products including diesel, petrol motor spirit and kerosene are listed in the Price Control Act.
He said the Act gives the Board powers to fix the prices of commodities.
“That though the price of the commodities is supposed to be fixed by the Board, the only petroleum products that are fixed to a certain amount are not being enforced.
“That the price of a bag of rice which was formerly N8,000 has risen to N45,000 in the market and that the situation in the market is by each passing day becoming more unbearable for consumers as prices of goods keep rising on a daily basis.
“Sellers are not always sincere as they are so desperate to make excessive profits at the expense of buyers.
“Food prices which human beings should not be deprived of are on the high side due to a lack of price fixing by the Ist Defendant.
“That buyers are at the receiving end when the prices of goods are increased as they tend to suffer for it more.
“That the increase in the price of goods has forced various categories of eateries and canteens to increase the prices of their meals, attributing the high cost to unstable and unfavorable prices of farm produce. “That there is a need for the 1st defendant to rise up to its task of imposing prices on these commodities. That un- less the defendants are man- dated by the court to wake up to their responsibilities, the prices of goods will continue to skyrocket,” the affidavit read.
Falana sought the following claims from the court: “A declaration that by virtue of Section 4 of the Price Control Act Cap, the defendants are under a legal obligation to fix the prices of bicycles and spare parts; flour; matches; milk; motorcycles and spare parts; motor vehicles and spare parts; salt; sugar and petroleum products including diesel, petrol motor spirit and kerosene.
