$9.6bn gas debt: Nigeria, UK on collision course

However, to back its refusal to pay the debt, the Federal Government has perfected plans to launch its own legal defence in Nigeria, as soon as the courts resume from summer recess this month.

It was also gathered that, consequent on President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),

the Inspector-General of Police, and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to investigate the matter, top officials of government, past and present, were discovered to have been involved in what is now being called in government circles ‘a sweetheart deal.’

Another official who confirmed the investigation added that “collaborators in past and present governments have been unveiled. Many very important personalities have been mentioned in the deal. A report will be presented to government soon. They will be charged to court, to explain to Nigerians their involvement in the deal. The law will take its course.”

“We discovered that the gas deal was just a ploy to share Nigeria’s foreign reserves; it was a money-sharing scheme because P&ID never laid a single pipe to execute that project,” he said.

Meanwhile, two Nigerian P&ID directors have fled the country. Security sources said the two directors, male and female, supplied non-existent addresses of the firm in Lagos and Abuja.

“When investigators visited the Abuja office number supplied by the directors, another company, which had no relationship with P&ID, was discovered there. The address given in Lagos did not even exist.

“When we discovered they had left Nigeria, we immediately contacted Interpol on their movement and, at the weekend, they were placed on a watch-list,” said a security source who craved anonymity.

Daily Sun checks at the anti-graft commission indicated that a report on its findings would soon be submitted to the President.

A top EFCC official confirmed the probe report was almost ready, as the commission was just “crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s, in final preparation for submission to the Federal Government.

“The investigation has thrown up startling revelations about the involvement of top government officials, which will now strengthen government’s resolve not to pay the debt,” the source volunteered.

Attempts to get the reaction of the Inspector-General of Police and the NIA were unsuccessful. There are also indications Nigerians in the Diaspora will soon protest in London over the judgement.

Regardless, in response to Daily Sun’s enquiries on the matter, the senior press and public affairs officer, Mr. Chris Ogunmodede, speaking for the British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, yesterday, said: We are aware of calls for a protest outside the British High Commission in relation to a UK court judgement against the Nigerian government “The British government has no role in the decisions of the UK courts.” At the weekend, P&ID founder, Michael Quinn, admitted to have met with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, the late minister of petroleum resources, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, former group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cor- poration, Shehu Ladan, and 15 others over the Gas Supply and Processing Agreement.