P&ID:
Malami Attributes Success to Inter-agency
Collaboration
The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has said that the successes recorded
at the on-going P&ID arbitration case in the United Kingdom was
a product of collective institutional collaboration and not
attributable to a single individual personality.
Malami stated this at “The Morning Show” program of the Arise
Television on Wednesday morning while discussing the recent
developments related to the Nigeria’s arbitration on the
embattled P&ID contract agreement.
According to a
statement issued by his Media Aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, the Minister
said, “I wonder how one personality can claim victory associated
with an institution. Neither the Office of the Attorney-General of
the Federation -that developed witnesses’ statements in support of
the case that led to the victory nor Abubakar Malami, SAN (as
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice) can in
law and logic claim an exclusively personalized victory over a
product of intergovernmental, inter-ministerial and multiple-agency
collaborative venture,” he said.
Malami explained that , “in addition to the Office of the
Attorney-General of the Federation and Federal Ministry of Justice,
Nigerian Police, Ministries of Information and Foreign Affairs,
Central Bank of Nigeria and other related agencies played an
extra-ordinarily vital role in
the processes and developments that culminated into this landmark
victory for the county”.
He said that with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal
Government, the era of impunity and compromised that were embedded
into the government system was over and the new culture of
uncompromising stance for the public interest has come to stay.
The Minister who described the successes recorded by the Nigeria
government in the recent UK court judgment on P&ID issue as
unprecedented said investigations are ongoing and all those who
played roles in the sham called contract will be made to face the
wrath of the law.
In another development, Malami disclosed that the Federal
Government is working assiduously to come out with National
Arbitration Policy.
“It is our intention to look at the existing legislations,
possibility of enhancing them for the purpose of establishing the
national interest as the major enabler of, perhaps, amendment to
the existing legislations if the need for doing so arises”.
He explained, “We are not ruling out the possibility of bringing
about Executive Orders to compliment same if the need arises. So,
indeed we are looking at the possibility of having in place
effective legal framework, national policy and associated
legislations that will assist the process”.
He said, “Arising from the evolution of arbitrations, as per the
Nigerian state is concerned, the government has established very
efficient and reputable centers of arbitrations in Lagos and
Abuja”.
He noted that the establishment of such centers is a step in the
right direction maintaining government resolve to localize what is
supposed to be localized as per as the development of arbitration
is concerned within the Nigerian State.
Modupe Ogundoro
Deputy Director
9th September, 2020