Rivers
RSG Disowns New Youth Body
The Rivers State Ministry of Youth Development has dissociated itself from the new National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), saying it recognises the NYCN led by Comrade Kingsley Ibanichuka whose tenure is yet to elapse.
Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr Owene Wonodi while addressing newsmen at the weekend in Port Harcourt warned the group to desist from setting up a parallel youth body in the State or face serious consequences.
He revealed that the State Government was aware of plans by some politicians to use some youths to cause trouble through a kangaroo meeting slated for Saturday, at Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt.
“We wish to state categorically that the State Government is not aware of such meetings and will not recognise any illegal parallel apex youth council body in the state”, the commissioner stated.
He called on security agencies to put a hold of any illegal meeting without due clearance from the ministry and to forestall any breach of public peace that such event might cause.
The Commissioner also called on youths in the State to stay away from such meeting, and resist any attempt to use them for any political gain, while urging perpetrators to seek more civil means and follow due process in installing a youth body.
Wonodi while enjoining members of the public to disregard any such group, described it as illegal and handiwork of detractors.
Rivers
Macobarb CEO Cries Out, Says No Indigenous Contractor Can Win Case Against NLNG Or Oil Majors in Nigerian Courts …As Justice Nwogu Throws Out Macobarb’s N5.74bn Claim
Justice Chinwendu Nwogu of the Port Harcourt High Court has thrown out the N5.74bn claim filed by Macobarb, an indigenous contractor, against the NLNG for breach of contract and accumulated losses.
Shedrack Ogboru, the CEO of Macobarb International Limited, who filed the claims since 2022 as one of the claimants, in suit number HC/2013/CS/2022, has however cried out, saying the fate of indigenous contractors in Nigerian courts is doomed.
Ogboru told newsmen outside the court after the shock ruling that the judge abandoned the crux of the matter and the terms of the contract to deny Macobarb the claims.
Showing anger and frustration, Ogboru said he felt he presented tight case to the court to show that the NLNG breached terms of payments and that the breaches caused slowdown of the execution of the contract, but regretted that the judge did not agree with any of his arguments.
Saying many indigenous contractors have died as a result of injustices in the hands of the oil majors, he said only abroad do communities and local contractors get some form of justice, never in Nigeria.
Justice Nwogu had ruled that the NLNG did not breach its contract with the contractor and that the gas company did not unlawfully deny Macobarb payments.
The judge said work executed by Macobarb did not amount to ‘work done’ as stated in the contract terms except the NLNG approved it as so, and that the provision mandating the person recognized as ‘contract holder’ nominated by the NLNG as the one to authorize any dealings with the contractor did not mean that he alone could act for the NLNG as relied upon by the contractor. The judge ruled that the ‘contract holder’ was a mere day to day overseer of the project, and that any official mandated by the NLNG can terminate the contract.
The judge also ruled that the contract did not provide for ‘standdown payment’ and that the NLNG did not cause delays in the execution of the contract as claimed by the contractor.
The judge also ruled that the payment failures by the NLNG that the contractor claimed affected the contract did not amount to an offence or breach of the contract but that the contractor misused the loan he obtained from banks.
In the end, the judge ruled in favour of almost all the grounds submitted by the NLNG and none of the grounds by the contractor, and even tongue-lashed the contractor in most of his rulings.
Reacting, Ogboru said: “My case is presented 100 per cent, the NLNG’s case is zero; but surprisingly, the NLNG has rather been upheld, and Macobarb denied. I pity indigenous contractors in Nigerian courts. We are doomed.”