A British court judgment granted to Process and Industrial Development Ltd (P&ID) to take over $9.6bn worth of Nigeria’s asset abroad is capable of ruining the country’s economy if it is enforced, a coalition of civil society groups, has said.
The CSOs which described the judgement as fraudulent, a travesty to justice and disrespect for the sovereignty of Nigerian government, demanded that the judgement be set aside because it was ill motivated and undermined the sovereignty of Nigeria.
It urged the Federal Government and P&ID to go back to the 2015 judgement of the Arbitration Tribunal which awarded $850 million to the Irish firm.
The CSOs made these demands when they protested at the United Kingdom High Commission and Embassy of Ireland in Abuja on Monday.
A copy of the protest letter submitted to the two embassies was obtained by one of our reporters.
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The coalition, in a joint statement signed by its President, Etuk Bassey and Secretary General, Mallam Abubakar and read to reporters, vowed to continue their action for the next one week until the judgement is reversed.
It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to unmask those behind the “fraudulent contract” and ensure that those behind the contract, including their collaborators both international and local are brought to book.
The protesters carried various placards with inscription such as: “$9.6bn judgement is a fraud,” “No to illegal take-over of our national assets and “Nigerians reject fraudulent judgment from British judge.”
Others are: “We stand with President Muhammadu Buhari anti-corruption crusade,” Boris Johnson help President Muhammadu Buhari fight corruption,” “British court ruling will ruin our economy and say no to second slavery.”
The coalition described the $9.6 billion judgement in favour of P&ID as a deliberate attempt to scuttle the effort of the federal government towards the fight against corruption.
“We are strongly opposed to this judgement. We have come here to register our protest that, we won’t submit to second slavery, we will not allow some persons to take wealth belonging to 200 million Nigerians,” the coalition said in the letter.
It added: “As a civil society organisation, coalition of civil society groups, the umbrella body of over 5000 civil society organisations in Nigeria, established to promote accountability and good governance and to ensure we have a responsive government where rights and privileges of the citizens are adequately respected.
“The 16th of August, 2019 judgement 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 Nigeria government and the British government. More so that a tribunal in London in July 2015, have earlier ruled that Nigeria should pay the sum of $ 850 million nothwstanding an out – of – arbitration agreement.
“While we appreciate and respect the responsibility and duty of courts, we frown at the steps taken by P&ID and the tribunal in UK towards the dispute involving Nigeria government and P&ID.
“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.”
The two embassies were fortified and protected by detachment of policemen. The protests at the two embassies were orderly and peaceful.
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