NCAA to collaborate with judiciary on aviation law, contracts

The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, has called on the judiciary to support efforts aimed at strengthening laws governing contractual dealings in the nation’s aviation sector, particularly the Cape Town Convention (CTC). Najomo made the appeal at the grand finale of the International CTC Moot Court held at the […]

The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, has called on the judiciary to support efforts aimed at strengthening laws governing contractual dealings in the nation’s aviation sector, particularly the Cape Town Convention (CTC).

Najomo made the appeal at the grand finale of the International CTC Moot Court held at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday evening 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 actually placed Nigeria in a better position before aircraft lessors and the general aviation business community.”

The well-attended event was organised by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the NCAA, with support from the Aviation Working Group (AWG).

Najomo explained that the programme was designed to familiarise students, academics, and judges with the CTC in the context of complex hypothetical cases, providing participants with educational exercises involving the treaty in a simulated judicial setting.

He noted that in the past, most aircraft manufacturers and leasing companies were reluctant to conduct business in Nigeria, but the adoption of the CTC has helped restore confidence in the industry.

“Through the efforts of the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo SAN, we are now in the good books of these organisations.

This programme is an enlightenment initiative to tell the world that we have arrived and are ready for business,” he said.

The NCAA DG commended the participating students for their brilliance and commitment, saying their performance reflects the nation’s growing capacity in all sectors.

The Secretary-General of the AWG and Co-Director of the CTC Academic Project, Jeffrey Wool, expressed delight at the success of the first Nigerian International CTC Moot Court.

Wool described the CTC as a vital international treaty ratified by Nigeria, adding that the moot court serves as a means to introduce students and the legal system to the treaty’s provisions and further familiarise the courts with its application.