Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi, who was the former Attorney General of
Lagos State and defence witness in the trial of the Chairman of
Inducon Nigeria Limited, Dr. John Abebe, has confirmed the
authenticity of the document allegedly forged by Dr. Abebe.
Dr. Abebe is currently standing trial at the Lagos State High
Court, Ikeja Special Offences Division.
An international oil company, Statoil Nigeria Limited had on
June 22, 2010 accused the defendant of knowingly forging a letter
dated November 30, 1995 belonging to BP Exploration Nigeria Limited
to that of his company, Inducon Nigeria Limited. The defendant
pleaded not guilty to the charges.
When hearing resumed in the trial last Thursday, Mrs. Fadayomi,
testified that after she left office as Attorney General of Lagos
State in 1989, she joined the prestigious law firm of Irving &
Bonnar as principal partner, and during that time she served as
Chairperson of the then Afribank Nigeria Plc.
She gave evidence that during her time in Irving & Bonnar,
she incorporated BP Exploration Nigeria Limited and Statoil Nigeria
Limited as her international clients, even serving as one of the
initial nominal directors of both companies along with her partner
in the law firm. Irving & Bonnar, she said, went on to act as
company secretary and legal adviser to both companies.
Mrs. Fadayomi stated that BP Exploration Nigeria Limited and
Statoil Nigeria Limited were equal partners in a joint venture and
were jointly referred to as “the Alliance” or “Mirror
companies”.
She further confirmed that Dr. Abebe, as chairman of Inducon
Nigeria Limited, was introduced to her by one Forbes Maclean who
was the Managing Director of BP Exploration Nigeria Limited at that
time and that Dr. Abebe had an active working relationship with the
Alliance, helping them to secure three oil licences and he was
initially made a director of both BP Exploration Nigeria Limited
and Statoil Nigeria Limited before he was elevated to the position
of Vice-Chairman of both companies.
She further stated that there were a number of agreements
between Dr. Abebe and the Alliance that governed their business
relationships. According to her, the main agreement was the Net
Profit Interest Agreement (NPIA), which was to secure a 1.5 percent
interest for Dr. Abebe and Inducon Nigeria Limited in the
production of the Alliance.
She explained that there were also a number of amendments to the
Net Profit Interest Agreement including one contained in the letter
of November 30, 1995. These amendments were in response to issues
that arose with the NPIA.Upon being shown the copy the EFCC alleged
was the original document that Dr. Abebe forged, Mr. Fadayomi
denied knowledge of the document.The court then adjourned the
matter to 15th, 18th and 19th of November 2019 for continuation of
trial.
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FG Sets Up marriage Registries in all 36
States
In its efforts at ensuring uniformity in the conduct of
statutory marriages, the Federal Government has declared its
intention to set up marriage registries in all the 36 state
capitals in the country.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Barr. Georgina
Ehuriah, MON, disclosed this today in Port Harcourt, River State,
while declaring open a one-day sensitisation conference on the
conduct of statutory marriages in Nigeria with the theme:
“Achieving Harmonious Compliance in the Conduct of Statutory
Marriage in Nigeria”, .
She said that arrangements are also underway to establish new
federal marriage registries in Umuahia, Abia State and Uyo in Akwa
Ibom State, to address the challenges faced by couples in the
South-South and South East Zones
Barr. Ehuriah further said that, “the Ministry is presently
considering some of the recommendations made by stakeholders in the
course of the conference like, extending the validity period for
licences issued to places of worship for the celebration of
marriages as well as downward review of the fees payable by couples
for conduct of statutory marriages in federal marriage
registries”.
She added that “a machinery has also been put in place for the
amendment of the Marriage Act to adequately meet the needs of the
21st century”.
The Registrar General of Marriages in Nigeria disclosed further
that, arrangements are on-going to give couples whose certificate
were not issued in line with the Act the opportunity to bring them
to conformity.
According to her, the Ministry is exploring the possibility of
integrating the marriage registries operated by Local Governments
into its online platform so as to bring them in conformity with the
Marriage Act.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director, Citizenship &
Business Department, of the Interior, Mr. Stephen Okon stated that
the Conference was necessitated by the
challenges faced by citizens because of wrong documentation of
their marriages which have led to series of litigations.
He stated that the conference is aimed at creating more
awareness on issues surrounding conduct of valid statutory marriage
as well as bringing about conformity with the law and uniformity in
the activities of the Marriage Registries across the nation.
Mr. Okon called for synergy among stakeholders to build a
harmonious collaboration that would help in resolving issues
militating against the sanctity in the conduct and documentation of
statutory marriages in the country.
The event which marks the end of the first round of the workshop on
the conduct of statutory marriages in the country, have earlier
been held in Abuja and Lagos for the North and Western zones.
SIGNED
Mohammed Manga
Director (Press & Public Relations)
For: Permanent Secretary