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 attributed to an individual.
Malami stated this at “The Morning Show” program of the Arise Television on Wednesday 9th September 2020, while discussing the recent developments related to 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.
Malami explained that ,in addition to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Federal Ministry of Justice, the 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 Government, the era of impunity and compromise 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 added.
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 far as the development of arbitration is concerned within the Nigerian State.
Modupe Ogundoro
Deputy Director
9th September, 2020
