By Mary Blaise
A Coalition of Civil Society groups have kicked against the payment of 9.6billion USD judgement by a United Kingdom-based arbitration tribunal against the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The CSOs at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, addressed by Convener of the Guardians of Democracy and Development, Transparency and Accountability, Mr Solomon Adodo described the judgement as a subterranean plot to blackmail the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation, Mr Abubakar Malami over the controversial $9.6 billion P&ID judgement.
Mr Adodo who spoke on behalf of the group claimed that it was in possession of credible information on attempt by hired unpatriotic civil society groups to blackmail the person of Malami just in a bid to pass the buck and pave way for the hasty implementation of the $9.6 billion Judgement premised on a sham lawsuit filed at a Court in the United Kingdom.
The group argued that Malami did not play any role in the said contract when the said contract between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Processes and Industrial Development Ltd was entered into in January, 2010 by Mr. Michael Quinn of P & ID and Mr. Rilwanu Lukman the then Minister of Petroleum Resources who signed the Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) on behalf of P&ID and the Nigerian government respectively.
The group vowed to resist any group or individual who sets out to frustrate on going efforts by the government to stall the implementation of the judgment delivered by a court in the United Kingdom (UK)
The group noted: ” It is therefore mischievous to accuse Mr. Malami of sabotaging the Federal Government’s effort whereas he was not there from the commencement of the deal and/or the legal brickbats that ensued. Our findings reveal that the intentions of these civil society groups is to distract the Honorable Attorney General of the Federation while frustrating the efforts of the Federal Government to amicably arrive at a more plausible solution which will create a soft landing for Nigeria.
” P & ID has therefore engaged these mischievous civil society groups to serve as smokescreen in fighting the Attorney General of the Federation. Available records show that the trump card of P&ID has been to consistently dig up mud and smear the image of any individual occupying the Office of Attorney General of the Federation.
“We therefore use this medium to discountenance these civil society groups before they embark on their binge of mischief against the Nigerian State. We herein sound the alarm that they are not just intent on coming for the head of Malami but are determined to grab Nigeria by the jugular so long as this case and the fairy Judgement of $9.6 billion is concerned.”
