The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, has called for greater support from the Judiciary to deepen the understanding and application of laws governing contractual dealings in Nigeria’s aviation sector, particularly the Cape Town Convention (CTC).
The CTC, which includes the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (2001) and its Aircraft Equipment Protocol, provides a framework for protecting international interests in mobile aviation assets.
Najomo made the call at the grand finale of the International CTC Moot Court held at the Federal High Court, Abuja, under the auspices of the CTC Academic Project. Represented by the Director of Operations, Licensing, and Training, Captain Donald Tonye Spiff, Najomo said the CTC “has placed Nigeria in a better light before aircraft lessors and enhanced confidence in the nation’s aviation business environment.”
The event was organised by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and the NCAA, with support from the Aviation Working Group (AWG).
Secretary-General of the AWG and Co-Director of the CTC Academic Project, Jeffrey Wool, expressed delight at Nigeria’s first international CTC moot court, noting that it was designed to familiarise students and the judiciary with the treaty’s provisions. “The CTC is an important international treaty with significant economic benefits for Nigeria,” he said.
The moot court simulated real judicial proceedings, with two opposing teams of law students from the University of Benin and the University of Lagos arguing before a three-member panel of judges Justices Binta Nyako (presiding), Joyce Abdulmalik, and James Omotosho.
Eighteen universities from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones participated in the preliminary rounds, with the University of Benin and the University of Lagos emerging as the top two institutions to compete in the final held on November 12.
