Scores of members of Coalition of Civil Society Groups yesterday stormed the United Kingdom High Commission in Abuja protesting over the court judgment granted to Process and Industrial Development Limited, owned by Irish citizens to take over $9.6 billion Nigeria's asset.The protesters, who vowed to continue their action for the next one week until the judgment is reversed, described the judgment as a travesty to justice.
The inscriptions in some of the placards read: "$9.6bn judgment is a fraud," "No to illegal takeover of our national assets," "Nigeria rejects fraudulent judgment from British judge," "Nigeria and Britain are friends, not enemies" and "Boris Johnson help President Muhammadu Buhari fight corruption."There are also captions such as "Both Local and International conspirators behind the P&ID fraud must be punished," "We say no to second slavery, this judgment cannot stand," among others.
In a letter to the British High Commission, jointly signed by the president, Etuk Bassey Williams and secretary of the group, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim, the group said the judgment is meant to deter the effort of the Nigerian government towards the fight against corruption."We consider the judgment as a travesty to justice, disrespect to the sovereignty of the Nigerian government as the case is not supposed to be heard in a foreign country outside the country where the said irregularity was committed. We strongly opposed to this judgment."The coalition stated that the 16th of August, 2019 judgment delivered in a case instituted by P&ID against the government of Nigeria on the Gas supply Processing Agreement with NNPC, is in bad light and is capable of destroying a wholehearted relationship built over years between Nigerian government and the British government.
They further described the judgment as an error and miscarriage of justice considering the fact that the company P&ID did not initiate any move to build the gas processing plant to refine the natural gas, which it signed to build and never conducted an environmental Impact Assessment which is pre-requisite to any industrial activity in Nigeria and also a global practice and that the company has not been able to show capacity or any core competence in handling gas project of such magnitude, hence no convincing evidence that that the contract didn't follow due process and thus does not warrant any breach of contract.
"It is disheartening to observe the questionable commitment and resolve of the tribunal sitting in UK to go ahead with the judgment despite being served the court ruling in Nigeria which gave the federal government of Nigeria the leave to review the contract due to irregularities found in the way and manner with which the contract was signed."We appreciate and respect the responsibility and duty of courts we frown at the steps taken by the company (P&ID) and the Tribunal in UK towards the dispute involving Nigerian government and the P&ID. Thus we use this medium to express our dissatisfaction to this illegal process and lack of due recognition of our sovereignty as a nation and the interest of the Nigeria people."
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While appreciating the cordial relationship that has existed between the British and the Nigerian Government, the Coalition urged the two parties to review the contract and negotiate the payment awarded against Nigeria. "Nigerian government and the P&ID should go back to the position of the Arbitration Tribunal in July 2015; where it concluded that Nigeria should pay the sum of US$850 million notwithstanding and out-of-arbitration agreement. The judgment is ill motivated and undermines the sovereignty of Nigeria," they added.
