TheCable

A federal high court in Abuja has restrained Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, from appointing a consultant to monitor the spending of $311 million Abacha Loot which was recovered on May 4, 2020.

The funds were repatriated from the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey.

The federal government had committed the funds to support the construction of the Second Niger bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressways and the Mambilla Power Plant in accordance with the repatriation agreement.

A technical bid was set up by the asset recovery and management unit of the ministry of justice to select and engage civil society organisations that would oversee the implementation of the projects to ensure transparency and CLEEN Foundation, a Nigerian-based CSO, was selected.

However, PPP Advisories Consortium, a firm which submitted proposals during the technical bid, sued the AGF and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

According to the firm, 17 firms had submitted proposals but only four were qualified.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Daniel Bwala, counsel to PPP Advisories Consortium, informed the court that if the AGF and the BPP are allowed to carry on “it will most likely dent the image and name of Nigeria in the eyes of the international community and make a mockery of the requirements for competitiveness and transparency in all federal government procurements as outlined by the Bureau of Public Procurement Act, 2007.”

Giving a short ruling, Inyang Ekwo, presiding judge, ordered all parties in the suit to maintain status quo, taking no further steps whatsoever in the matter pending the hearing the motion on notice filed by PPP Advisories Consortium.

The case has been adjourned till January 21 for hearing the motion on notice.