A Coalition of Civil Society Groups made real its threat on Monday when it occupied both Irish the United Kingdom embassies in Abuja to protest against a court judgment granted to an Irish firm, Process and Industrial Development Ltd (P&ID), to take over $9.6bn worth of Nigeria’s asset.
It said the judgement was capable of improvishing over 200 million Nigerians.
The coalition had last Friday announced plans to occupy British and Irish embassies in Abuja for one week, beginning from Monday September 2, in protest against the judgment.
Justice Christopher Butcher of a British Commercial Court had affirmed the $6.597 billion (now $9.6 billion) arbitration award against the federal government.
On the same day, the federal government alleged that the $9.6 billion judgment debt was a calculated attempt by international and local scammers to deplete the country’s rising foreign reserves.
The Coalition which was an umbrella body of over 500 groups in Nigeria vowed to continue the action for the next one week until the judgement is reversed.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “$9.6bn judgement is a fraud,” “No to illegal take over of our national assets,” “Nigeria rejects fraudulent judgment from British judge,” among others.
The President of the Coalition, Etuk Williams, inisted that Nigeria cannot be colonised and enslaved for the second time through the judgment.
He noted that the $9.6bn was equivalent to N3.5 trillion when converted, adding that the amount would take 20 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign reserve.
Williams stated: “We have come to say that we will not submit to slavery. We believe in justice, $9.6bn in UK is a fraud.
“That judgment will inflict pain on over 200 million Nigerian people and we cannot take that. We are ready to occupy this place for another one week. We will continue to occupy British and Irish embassies until justice is done. This judgement must be reversed.”
William said that while the coalition recognises and appreciates the cordial relationship that had existed between British and Nigerian government, it urged the parties to review the contract and negotiate the payment awarded against Nigeria.
Source: THISDAY
