CSOs to picket British high commission over $9bn judgment

The Coalition of Civil Society Groups (CCSG) has announced plans to protest the $9bn judgment against Nigeria by a British court.

The court gave judgement in favour of Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID), an Irish engineering company, over a gas contract with Nigeria.

In 2010, the federal government entered into a 20-year gas and supply processing agreement (GSPA) deal with the company to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River state.

But the company said after spending several years preparing for the project, it collapsed because the Nigerian government did not build a pipeline or secure supply of gas as stipulated in the agreement.

P&ID sought legal redress and on August 16, a British court gave the company the go-ahead to seize Nigerian assets worth $9 billion.

Reacting to the order, CCSG, in a statement by Ibrahim Abubakr, its secretary-general, described the judgment as “fraudulent”, saying: “those behind this huge corruption must be brought to justice”.

“The president has directed that all Executive members and affiliated organizations from all states should return back to Abuja for a national duty that will be taken place on 2nd of September, 2019,” the statement read.

“You are hereby directed to be in Abuja latest on the 1st of September for the 2nd of September, 2019 protest during which we will occupy British Embassy and Irish embassy for one week with a call for reversal of the $9.6bn fraudulent judgment by UK court instituted by P&ID Irish company against our beloved nation.”

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), had said Nigeria’s deal with P&ID was designed to fail.

Malami explained that deal was between the P&ID and the ministry of petroleum resources which does not produce gas.

He added that those who entered into deal on behalf of the country subjected Nigeria to “economic sabotage.”