In a lawsuit, Ese Lynn Falae, the widow of Deji Falae, son of Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Olu Falae, and her three children, are demanding N245.5 million from Associated Airlines and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over the death of their bread winner in a plane crash. 

 

They disclosed that their demand represents compensation for the earnings Deji Falae would have made over the next 15 years less living expenses, cash discount and the statutory limit of one hundred thousand dollars. 

 

On behalf of the plaintiffs, Olajide Oyewole filed the statement of claim at a Federal High Court in Lagos. Apart from the late Falae’s widow, the other plaintiffs are Ayomide Falae, a 15-year old student at Day Waterman College in Abeokuta, Omowonuola Falae, a 13-year-old girl, and Oreoluwa Falae, a 7-year old pupil at Corona Schools in Lagos. 

 

Deji Falae was 42 years old at the time of his death on October 3, 2013. A lawyer by training, who died in an aircraft owned by Associated Airline that was conveying the remains of former Governor Olusegun Agagu from Lagos to Akure, the Ondo State capital, for burial. At the time of his death, he was the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Ondo State. 

 

The lawsuit asserts that the aircraft crashed due to the defendants’ wrongful acts, neglect or default.  According to the lawsuit, some of the defendants breached their statutory duties by allowing Associated Aviation Nigeria Limited to operate its ill-fated Flight 361 in a manner that endangered the lives of passengers and indeed caused the death of Mr. Falae. 

 

The plaintiffs claim that the NCAA’s delinquency enabled the airline to fly without procuring a legally binding insurance policy covering its liability under Nigerian law as well as its liabilities for damages that may be sustained by third parties such as the plaintiffs.       

 

The lawsuit stated that the deceased made N10 million annually from his law firm practice at the time of his death, adding that he received N5 million annually as a commissioner in Ondo State. The lawsuit also listed the deceased’s income from his construction firm at N20 million. It added that the deceased spent N8.750 million annually as his living expenses. 

 

The widow stated that the late Falae paid rent on a five-bedroom duplex at Dolphin Estate, Lagos where he and his family lived until his untimely death, adding that the burden of paying the rent had fallen on her since her husband’s death. She added that, if he had not died, Mr. Falae would have paid the school fees for their children till the completion of their education.       

 

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