General
Contract Dispute: British Firm Offers FG Olive Branch as Judgment Debt Hits $9bn
Nigeria stands to lose up to $9 billion worth of its foreign assets following an enforcement application to US and UK courts by Process and Industrial Development (P&ID), a British firm tied up in a legal dispute with the Federal Government. The court case arose out of the failure of a contract awarded the company in 2010 to process wet gas to power Nigeria’s generating plants.
In January 2017, a London tribunal, organized under the rules of the Nigeria Arbitration and Conciliation Act, ordered Nigeria to pay P&ID $6 billion in damages, plus $2.3 million in uncollected interest. That figure has since been attracting interest at the rate of $1.2 million per day, and currently stands at over $9 billion.
The next hearing on the case will come up in a London court on Tuesday, May 21, 2019.
Mr. Brendan Cahill, Founder, Process and Industrial Development (P &ID) said that the company looks forward to the UK and US courts granting enforcement rights that will allow P&ID to collect what is rightfully its. “If history is any guide – just look at how creditors seized Argentina’s naval frigate while docked in Ghana. Efforts by Nigeria to evade this judgment will inevitably fall flat. The ball is in Nigeria’s court, if the government is prepared to find a good-faith solution”, he said.
Cahill however indicated that the company was open to negotiations with the Nigerian government to settle the dispute out of court. He said: “P&ID remains open to a settlement on a reasonable basis, but we need a willing partner in government to help resolve this matter. The onus is on the Nigerian government to act in good faith to find a solution”.
After the P&ID’s Gas Supply and Processing Agreement with the Federal Government failed, the company initiated arbitration proceedings in London, in line with the original contractual agreement between the parties.
Cahill said the company decided to go to court after several attempts at salvaging the deal were botched. He said: “P&ID’s Gas Supply and Processing Agreement (GSPA) failed when the government did not uphold its commitments. In August 2012, after several attempts over two and half years by P&ID to salvage the agreement, including offers to renegotiate the deal, the company initiated arbitration proceedings”.
Cahill is sadden by the failure of such a promising project and government’s lack of interest in trying to resolve the dispute amicably, adding that original project would have brought power and economic growth to Nigeria by supplying free natural gas for electricity generation, as well as building a highly successful commercial venture with a share of profits going to the Nigerian government.
“The P&ID project would have supplied 2,000 megawatts of electricity in a country where tens of millions do not have access to electricity. The award judgment was handed down by the independent arbitration panel because it represented the loss of profits for P&ID over the 20 years of the project”, he explained.
In late February this year, the Office of the Attorney-General of Nigeria (AGF) issued a statement contesting the huge amount the court awarded P & ID as damages, largely on the grounds that the project did not actually kick off the ground.
But Cahill reacted to the statement, explaining that the company had already put in years of planning, field work, design and on-the-ground preparation. He stated: “We spent two and a half years offering solutions, while the government consistently failed to deliver its side of the contract. This is a tragic ending to a venture that would have delivered low-cost electrical energy to hundreds of thousands of households throughout Nigeria, and would have brought vital revenue to the Nigerian treasury”.
Cahill and his late partner, Michael Quinn, had over 30 years’ prior experience of executing successful engineering projects in Nigeria before the failed P&ID project that is now in dispute.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos International Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of Lagos State was shut down on Wednesday by traders protesting the proposed takeover of the facility by state and local government authorities.
The aggrieved demonstrators emphasised that the complex belongs to the federal government, and if there is a transfer of ownership to the state and local governments, then stakeholders should be carried along.
They expressed concerns that handing over the trade fair complex to the duo could be disruptive, and traders may have to pay more taxes and levies, which will, in turn, result in higher prices of goods.
In protest of the planned takeover, the traders yesterday locked up their shops, especially those in the ASPANDA Market segment within the facility, where spare parts are sold.
Apparently worried about the situation, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ms Jumoke Oduwole, visited the market to talk to the traders.
She urged them to reopen the complex, as efforts are being made by the federal government to resolve the issue amicably.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a court order to extend the detention of former Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Nasir El-Rufai.
This order gives the anti-graft agency ample time to finalise its investigation into allegations against the former governor, which has now deepened as a result of some new findings.
Subsequently, the new order, which was granted on Tuesday in the presence of Mr El-Rufai’s lawyer, will expire on Thursday, March 19.
However, Mr El-Rufai’s lawyer, whose application to quash the first remand order was declined by a Chief Magistrate Court in Bwari, has returned to the same court to nullify the latest order.
Justice Okechukwu John Akweke has fixed March 17 to decide whether or not he should set aside the latest detention order.
He said, “Upon hearing and listening to the prosecuting counsel, Dr Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha Esq., praying this Honourable court for the following orders:
“An order of this Honourable Court issuing a remand warrant against the Respondent (NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI) in favour of the Applicant, i.e. Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to detain the Respondent (NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI) in its custody for another fourteen (14) days pending conclusion of investigation activities on allegations of Money Laundering/abuse of office.
“And for such other or further order(s) as this Honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances. It is hereby ordered that: Application granted as prayed.
“That the Applicant, i.e. the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission ICPC is hereby ordered to re-detain the Respondent (NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI) for an additional 14 days to enable the commission to conclude investigation activities.
“That the return date shall be the 19th day of March 2026, for the report of compliance.”
The scrutiny of Mr El-Rufai by the ICPC follows the report of the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s ad hoc committee constituted in 2024 to investigate finances, loans and contracts awarded between 2015 and 2023 under his eight-year administration of the state.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has begun evacuating willing Nigerians in Iran, escorting them across the Armenian border to ensure their safety amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The evacuation follows the growing crisis that began on February 28 after coordinated military strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel.
The attacks triggered retaliatory missile and drone strikes across parts of the region, raising fears of a wider conflict.
The chief executive of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this in a post on her X handle on Tuesday.
She said officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Tehran are coordinating the evacuation of Nigerians who wish to leave the country and are facilitating their safe passage into Armenia.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa also reassured that no Nigerian in Iran has so far been affected by the ongoing tensions, noting that embassy officials remain stationed at the border to receive and assist evacuees.
Her post read, “Willing Nigerians [are] being escorted across the Armenian border by officials of the Nigerian embassy in Iran for safe passage. No Nigerian in Iran has been affected by the war as officials remain at the border to receive all who want to leave.”
The development comes as tensions in parts of the Middle East continue to raise concerns over the safety of foreign nationals residing in affected areas.
For repatriation flights, the NiDCOM chair said the airspace is currently unsafe but assured Nigerians in the Middle East that the Federal Government team is on standby to evacuate them.
“And as for repatriation flights, the skies are currently unsafe to fly. Luckily, a flight came in from the UAE to Lagos two days ago, just before another strike and the closure of the airspace.
“Once the airspace opens, the multi-agency FG team on crisis and evacuation is on standby. Our prayers are with you and all our people in affected countries,” she said.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism10 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn