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UK Court Grants Nigeria Leave To Appeal $9.6bn Judgment …Asks FG To Pay $200m For Stay Of Execution

A United Kingdom Commercial and Arbitration Court, yesterday, granted the Nigerian Government leave to appeal against the award and enforcement of the judgment that asked Process and Industrial Development Limited (P&ID), to seize $9.6billion in Nigerian assets.
The court also considered and granted the application for stay of execution, and ordered the Federal Government to deposit the sum of $200million as security while the appeal is heard.
Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is the leader of the Nigerian legal team in London, confirmed the development, yesterday.
Malami; the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; had last Saturday led a delegation to the United Kingdom for the epic legal battle with P&ID.
Other government officials that were part of the trip included the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
The court had on August 16 affirmed the ruling of a London arbitration tribunal, which, in January, 2017, awarded $6.6billion arbitral award against Nigeria over an alleged breach of a gas supply and processing agreement signed with P&ID in 2009.
The tribunal had ruled that Nigeria was liable for $6.6billion in damages, which increased to about $9.6billion with accruing interest.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, on August 26, described the judgment as an assault on all Nigerians.
She had said it was important for all Nigerians to rise up to the task of ensuring that the nation and its citizens were not unfairly treated on the matter.
The minister had said, “This matter that has brought us here today is a very weighty one. An award of $9.6billion is equivalent to N3.5trillion. N3.5trillion in our annual budget will be covering for us the personnel cost, which is about N3.2trillion and more. So, this award is unreasonable, excessive and exorbitant.”
Meanwhile, Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID) has reacted to the ruling of the United Kingdom Commercial and Arbitration Court which, yesterday, in London, ordered a stay of execution of the $9.6billion damages awarded against Nigeria pending the determination of an appeal by the Nigerian Government.
The court had asked the government to make a security payment of $200million to it, while also granting Nigeria’s leave to file an appeal against the award.
However, P&ID, in a statement, yesterday, said it welcomed the ruling that required that Nigeria must pay $200million before proceeding with the appeal.
“The court has ruled that the Nigerian Government must put up $200million to maintain a stay of execution whilst it pursues an appeal against enforcement of the now $9.6billion award in favor of P&ID.
The tribunal had ruled that Nigeria was liable for $6.6billion in damages, which increased to about $9.6billion with accruing interest.
The English Commercial and Arbitration ordered a stay of execution of the $9.6billion damages secured against Nigeria by Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID) pending the determination of an appeal by the Federal Government.
It, however, asked the government to make a security payment of $200million to the court.
The court also granted Nigeria’s leave to file an appeal against the award.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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