PARIS FUND CONTROVERSY: The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has again cautioned the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the consultants in the $418.9 million Paris Club loan refund to refrain from media propaganda and await an appeal court verdict on the matter.
In a statement on Sunday, the spokesman of the Governors forum, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, said the NGF and its leadership remain focused and determined to diligently pursue all appeals on the Paris Club refunds.
BASIC FACTS
- The Nigerian Governors forum (NGF) have been in court against the Attorney General of the Federation and the consultants in the disbursement of the Paris fund refund.
- One of the consultants Riok has already lost in court, while the AGF continues to push the case in the media space in favour of the consultants.
- The NGF has accused the AGF and the consultants of media propaganda instead of chasing substance in court.
WHAT WE KNOW
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has cautioned the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the consultants in the $418.9 million Paris Club loan refund to refrain from media propaganda and await an appeal court verdict on the matter.
In a statement on Sunday, the spokesman of the Governors forum, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, said the NGF and its leadership remain focused and determined to diligently pursue all appeals on the Paris Club refunds.
The NGF, in the statement asked Ned Nwoko and the other consultants to end the media war and direct all energies toward defending the appeals already before the court.
The NGF in the statement accused Ned Nwoko of acting in synergy with the Attorney General to justify “plundering of the humongous sum of $418.9 million from the public treasury of the states and local councils.
NOTABLE QUOTES
In the statement released on Sunday, the NGF said, “All that it requests of the AGF and the consultants is to allow the appeal processes to run and be exhausted. It may be that the consultants will successfully defend the appeals after which they will be paid.”
“However, if they lose, as Riok Nigeria Ltd has lost, which is the most likely verdict that shall befall all the other consultants, let the public funds in issue remain protected,”
“The facts are, and will always remain, whether the claims of the consultants are lawful and justified under our Constitution and whether any judgment, which is a subject of pending appeal can be enforced or executed as the consultants now attempt to do?”
“If both questions are answered in the negative, it does not matter if the contracts leading to the claims were entered into by any public official, past or present.”
“No person or persons can agree to blatantly circumvent our Constitution and get away with it. Neither is the period when judgments were obtained of consequence in this case.”
FLASHBACK
The Nigerian Governors forum have pitted against the Attorney General of the Federation and the consultants over the Paris club refund.
While the NGF are opposed to the claim of the consultants, the Attorney General thinks the contractors should be paid on the claim that they have a valid contract.
Clariform Newsdesk reports that the governors had through their state Attorney Generals approached the Supreme court in an attempt to stop the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari under the instrumentality of the AGF and Finance Minister, to pay the sum to the contractors through the issuance of promissory notes.
The governors had contended, that the matter is currently pending on appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja for hearing, adding that the Nigerian government should exercise restraint in its handling of the matter.
The governors noted further that the Supreme Court had on the occasion made clear that neither the NGF nor ALGON had power to award contracts and charge the same directly to the Federation Account as done in this case.
TAKEAWAY
Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation had recently made a strong case on why over 418 Million USD must be paid to the consultants.
Speaking at the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by Presidential Communications Team, Malami had said that the governors under the NGF signed up to the liability and have also indemnified the federal government for the payment of the money to the consultants.
Therefore, according the AGF, the governors are merely making noise by complaining about the payment, and all the “noise making that is now being generated arising from the Governors forum” are baseless and has no justification.
The Minister`s contention is for the deduction of the said amount from the Paris Fund at source, and had contended that the Nigerian Governors Forum have no reason to complain or refuse the payment as they have already signed up to it.
Consequently, the governors have questioned Malami on whose interest he is actually serving in the case, even as the nation`s AGF – whether he is serving a personal interest or the interest of the Nigerian public.
The NGF Chairman have therefore disclosed that the group is committed to unraveling the situation by allowing the governors’ liability if any at all to be determined by the court of law.
