Breach Of Contract: FG Assets In US Under Threat Of Seizure The federal government may lose a substantial part of its assets in the United States of America if a default is entered against the country in a court suit filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey. In the originating summons filed by Civilitis International against International Training Institute for Peace, Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and four others, the plaintiff is demanding judgement against the defendants jointly and severally for damages in a five-count charge of alleged breach of contract. Among the demands are that there is due from the defendants the sum of $11,800 on a certain publication and sale of 4,000 inserts entitled “Peace Support Perspectives,” a leather bound book edition, storage and other sundry fees amounting to $286,955 as of February, 2013. Judgement in the case, which is before Robert D. KuttnerEsq, the designated trial counsel in the matter at the Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division in Hudson county, is expected to be declared in favour of the plaintiff, Civilitis International any moment from now when the court resumes. Investigation by our correspondent who traced the Nigerian consultant to Civilitis, Mr Umar Lukman of Octopus communications based in Zaria, show that the payment issue has passed through more than three Secretaries to the Government of the Federation (SGFs), from Dr Gidado Idris, Ufot Ekaete, Babagana Kingibe and Yayale Ahmed, the latter finally setting up a committee to verify and pay the debt. However, the incumbent SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, at a meeting with the publishers, said the amount being sought by the publishers for the long storage of the publication was too much and, therefore, ordered it reduced by 50 per cent. Our investigation also uncovered an official memo from the office of the SGF to the director-general, Budget Office of the Federation, dated July 13, 2011, requesting funds to pay the sum of $259,889 for the publication of compendium by the defunct International Training Institute for Peace (ITIP). In the letter, with reference PS/PAO067/119 of 13-7-11 and signed by one Femi Olayisade, mni, permanent secretary (GSO) for the SGF, it also drew attention to a letter from the permanent secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs wherein he urged the SGF to intervene in finding an early resolution to the matter, to absolve government of any embarrassment which could arise through the seizure of government assets in New York. LEADERSHIP Friday learnt that ITIP was scrapped and all its activities transferred to the Centre for Peace Research and Conflict Resolution, National War College, before payment could be effected, whereas the office of the SGF verified the entire transaction and found it to be conducted in the interest of the public service. Efforts to reach the office of the SGF for comments on the issue were futile at the time of going to press.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 06:25:47 +0000
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