Nigeria’s Aviation Regulator Calls for Judicial Collaboration on International Aircraft Treaty Implementation

In a strategic push to bolster Nigeria’s aviation legal framework, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, has called for stronger judicial partnership in interpreting and implementing key aviation contract laws, particularly the Cape Town Convention (CTC).

Represented by Captain Donald Tonye Spiff, NCAA’s Director of Operations, Licensing and Training, Najomo emphasized that the Cape Town Convention “has significantly improved Nigeria’s standing with aircraft lessors and the broader aviation business community.” The convention, comprising the 2001 International Interests in Mobile Equipment treaty and its Aircraft Equipment Protocol, establishes standardized legal frameworks for aircraft financing and leasing.

The event, organized collaboratively by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the NCAA, and the Aviation Working Group (AWG), featured a simulated court proceeding with law students from the University of Benin and University of Lagos arguing before a judicial panel comprising Justices Binta Nyako, Joyce Abdulmalik, and James Omotosho of the Federal High Court.

Jeffrey Wool, Secretary General of AWG and Co-Director of the CTC Academic Project, expressed enthusiasm about Nigeria’s inaugural international CTC moot court, noting the treaty’s crucial economic importance. “This competition serves to introduce both students and the legal system to this vital international agreement,” Wool stated, highlighting Nigeria’s ratification of the convention and the need for continued familiarization with its provisions.

The competition culminated from preliminary rounds involving 18 universities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with the University of Benin and University of Lagos emerging as finalists in the November 12 championship round. The event marks Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to align its aviation legal practices with international standards, fostering greater confidence among global aircraft investors and lessors.