Victor EzejaFormer House of Representatives member, Hon. Ned Nwoko has accused the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) of defaming him through a statement published on different media platforms and therefore demanded a public apology and $40 million compensation, claiming that injury has been done to his reputation.
The NGF had on Sunday, August 21, issued a statement signed by its Director of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo in response to Nwoko’s comment a day before concerning the ongoing controversy between the Governors Forum and some firms who demanded a total of $418 million payment from state and local governments for services rendered in the Paris Club debt refund.
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The $418 million Paris Club debt refund fee has been a subject of controversy between the NGF and Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami in the past few weeks.
Nwoko who is a lead consultant to states and local governments on the Paris Club debt refund had in a press statement on Saturday, August 20, claimed that his company was owed $68 million and not $418 million as stated by NGF.
He further said that the original claims calculated based on agreed terms for the services was in excess of $300 million but his firm offered a “huge discount on the entitlement to accept the $68m.”
The NGF’s Director of Media and Public Affairs accused Nwoko of “dishing out blatant lies and half-truths” about the controversy, stating that resorting to issuing press statements cannot change the fact that there are elements of fraud associated with the deal.
It stated that Nwoko only singled out and justified his own fee, which is part of the controversial $418 million, and listed the names of the consultants and the individual amount they are laying claim to which all together make up the $418 million.
Nwoko in a letter dated August 22, 2022, addressed to NGF by Rolls Law Firm, acting on his behalf, said the publication is malicious and caused damage to his reputation as a lawyer, politician and philanthropist. The letter specifically referred to a statement in the NGF response which alleged that Nwoko has been disbarred from legal practice in the United Kingdom where he had established a law firm in the 1990s and practiced for years before returning to Nigeria in 1999 to join politics.
“It is curious that in the introduction of himself, Mr. Ned Nwoko said nothing about his current status with the UK Law Society and the widely held belief that he was disbarred for fraudulent activities,” the statement from NGF alleged.
Nwoko’s legal counsel said he was not debarred from legal practice in UK, noting thus “the statement is profoundly malicious and false as our client has never been disbarred from legal practice in the UK,” a part of the solicitors’ letter read.
The letter further indicated that Nwoko has his practicing certificates for the year 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 issued by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority in England, and therefore is still in touch with his legal root in England.
The solicitors demanded that the governors’ forum should retract the statement within 48 hours of the notice, saying that the publication was false and was done with malicious intent to bring him to contempt and ridicule him in the eyes of the public.
Part of the letter of the solicitors read, “The quest is to damage his reputation, cast him as a devious, manipulative, dishonest and fraudulent person of questionable character who is making claims against (NGF) you. The implication and innuendos from the false allegations is to abuse the minds of the public and rouse public support against your refusal to pay his consultancy fees instead of addressing the issues in controversy.
“It is common knowledge that our client attended universities of Keele and Kings College, University of London, two world renowned institutions where he obtained his first degree and masters. After his call to the English Bar, as a member of the Lincoln’s Inn, he re-qualified as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.”
Making their demands, the Solicitors stated, “We therefore formally make the following demands from you that:
“1. You publish in two national newspapers as well as in your online News Media, statements retracting the libelous publications of 21st August 2022 with an unqualified apology within 48 hours from the receipt of this letter.
“2. You pay the sum of $40,000, 000 (forty million United States dollars) to our client as compensation for the malicious, false and disparaging publications.”
While the consultants (Nwoko and others) continued to fight for the money to be released to them, the governors resisted it even though some payments to that effect had earlier been made.
The governors argued that the claims of the consultants are illegal and not justified under the country’s constitution. They further stated that it does not matter if the contracts leading to the claims were entered into by any public official, past or present.
The AGF, Malami had, during a press briefing stated that NGF’s attempt to block the deduction of $418 million from the Paris Club debt refund has no justification because the governors collectively hired the consultants and agreed to pay for helping states and local governments secure the loan refund.
The insistence of the NGF had led to an action filed in court by the consultants to compel them to fulfill the obligation earlier made. The governors also obtained an order from the Federal High Court Abuja, restraining the federal government from deducting the money from states’ accounts for the purpose.
The 36 State Governors approached the Court to seek redress through their Attorneys-General on the case which is currently pending on appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja for hearing
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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