Economy
Paris Club Refund: Malami Slams g\Governors for Objecting $418m Deduction
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said state governors have no basis to complain about the $418 million deductions from the Paris Club refund paid to consultants they hired.
The minister said that the noise making arising from the Governors Forum was not only unjustified but “a clear case of absence of defense.
”He spoke when he featured on the Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The AGF also disclosed that a total of 648 cases instituted against the president, federal government and its agencies, before states, federal and ECOWAS Court were served on the Ministry, adding diligent defences of these cases in the year 2022 alone has saved the government from huge judgment debt liability to the tune of N54,888,343,888.52.
The Ministry has made appreciable progress in the actions being taken to challenge the $10 billion case between Nigeria and the Process & Industrial Development(P&ID) and was able to convince the court to set aside the case which he said may soon commence.
The AGF reflected on the governors that they created the liability whose payment they have also indemnified.
Fielding question on why despite a presidential directive to suspend the deduction from the Paris Club refund, he has not deemed it fit to enforce the directive as some deductions were been said to be made, he affirmed that when the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) requested the refund, one of the component was the settlement of the consultants who were engaged by the forum.
The Minister recalled that when the refund was paid to the states, the governors initially made to states, and part payment was also made to the consultants.
However, Malami said the governors later decided to stop payment while asking for an out-of-court settlement.
He said this resulted in to request to the President to make the payment, a request he said, was then passed on to the Office of the AGF for a legal opinion.
The minister noted that after being subjected to necessary checks, it was found that there was no element of fraud involved.
The indemnity of the governors was also sought and received, he disclosed.
“On the issue of Paris club that is raised. You mentioned that there exists a presidential directive that payments should not be made and then in breach of that position directives payments were perhaps maybe arising from the conspiracy between the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice payments have been made.
“I think you need to be informed first, as to the antecedents, prevailing circumstances and how the liability arose but one thing I’m happy to state, which I want to reiterate having stated the same earlier, is the fact that the Office of the Attorney General and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has not indeed incurred any major judgment debt for seven years it has been on.
“Now, coming to the antecedents background of the Paris Club. The liability or judgement debts related to pirates Club was indeed a liability created by the governor’s forum in their own right.”
“The Governor’s forum comprising of all the governors sat down commonly agreed on the engagement of a consultant to provide certain services for them relating to the recovery of the Paris Club. So, it was the governor’s forum under the federal government in the first place that engaged the consultant.
“Two, when eventually, successes were recorded associated with the refund, associated with Paris Club, the governors collectively and individually presented a request to the federal government for the fund. And among the components of the claim presented for the consideration of the federal government was a component related to the payment of these consultants that are now constituting the subject of contention. So the implication of that is that the governors in their own right recognized the consultant, recognized their claim and presented a such claim to the federal government.
“Three, when the claims were eventually processed and paid to the governor’s forum. They indeed on their own, without the intervention of the federal government took steps to make part payments to the consultants, acknowledging their liability over the same.
“And then four, when eventually they made such payments at a point they decided to stop the payment. The consultants instituted an action in court against the governors’ forum. They submitted to consent judgment. They asked and urged the Court to allow them to settle out of court.
“The court granted them an opportunity to settle. They commit terms of settlement in writing, they signed the terms of settlement, agreeing and conceding that such payments be made to the consultant.
“And then five, thereafter, the federal government under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was requested to comply with the judgment and effect payment.
“The President passed all the requests of the governors to the Office of the Attorney General for consideration. I suggested to the President the face value of the judgment and the undertones associated with the consultancy services.
“It was my opinion, the same treatment we meted to P&ID, that let us subject this claim, the consent judgment to an investigation by the agencies of the government. Mr President approved, I directed the EFCC and DSS to look into these claims and report back to the office of the Attorney General.
“And these agencies reported and concluded that there is no problem undertone associated with it. The government may continue to sanction the payment dependent. Now, that was the background.
“Even at that, we took further steps after receiving these reports from the EFCC among others, to demand indemnity from the governors. You, as a forum, incurred this liability, as a forum you submitted to consent judgment. We have subjected these claims to investigation and we have a report, but even at that, we need independent indemnity from you, establishing that it is with your consent and understanding that these payments should be made, in writing.
“And I’m happy to report to you that the governors individually and collectively provided the desired indemnity to the Office of the Attorney General, conceding, agreeing and submitting, that the payment should be made.
“Yes, and that was the ground and the basis on which we eventually decided by advising the president that the payment should be made. And then along the line, there was a change of leadership of the governors’ forum. And all the noise-making that is now being generated arising from the Governors forum is not only unjustified but indeed, a clear case of absence of defense.
“But one other point of interest you may wish to note is the fact that the new leadership of the governors’ forum instituted an action, even when the federal government was indeed acting based on the judgment of the Supreme Court. They now embarked on a fresh legal suit, challenging the payment, challenging the previous agreement, challenging the indemnity and the court dismissed the application. Their case was dismissed by the Federal High Court.
“So that is the foundation and I’m happy to report one, that the judgment and contention was a judgment that was obtained long before the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami came into office, long before the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came into office.
“It was a product of their own doing and they had it submitted to judicial proceeding, judgment was entered against them. They have committed to the payment of the money, they have on their own indeed effected part payment. I closed my case and I will not like to answer any further questions on that,” the minister explained.
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s bilateral relations with Germany, with renewed focus on economic cooperation, investment promotion, energy partnerships, and the effective implementation of existing agreements.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, made this statement during a visit to the Ministry in Abuja on Monday by the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nigeria, Stefan Rössel.
The minister welcomed the ambassador and his delegation, expressing Nigeria’s appreciation for Germany’s longstanding partnership and support for the country’s economic reform programme, particularly in the early stages of implementation.
He recalled that when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Nigeria, the Federal Government was pursuing significant economic reforms that required support from international partners, including Germany, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.
The minister said Germany’s support has contributed to Nigeria’s progress in its reform efforts, adding that the country remains grateful for the cooperation and assistance it has received from its development partners.
He also acknowledged Germany’s role in facilitating high-level engagements between the two countries, particularly in trade, investment and energy cooperation, noting that discussions during the Nigerian President’s visit to Germany advanced talks on key energy agreements.
Senator Bagudu further commended Germany’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and international engagement, emphasising the importance of sustained partnerships to address evolving global economic and political challenges.
He noted that Nigeria and Germany had built a strong foundation for bilateral cooperation over the years, with significant opportunities to expand their partnership in areas that support economic growth and development.
The minister disclosed that discussions had covered cooperation involving €25 million and €300 million in export credit guarantees, identifying these as important areas for continued engagement as Nigeria seeks to expand investment opportunities and strengthen its capacity to utilise available resources effectively.
According to him, Nigeria’s reform efforts have created an opportunity to place greater emphasis on attracting investment, strengthening productive capacity, and translating international partnerships into tangible economic outcomes.
He assured the German ambassador that the ministry was prepared to work closely with the German government and its relevant institutions to deepen bilateral relations and broaden areas of mutual interest.
Earlier, Ambassador Rössel expressed appreciation for the warm reception he received, describing the relationship between Nigeria and Germany as strong and longstanding.
The ambassador, who arrived in Nigeria a few weeks ago, reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to building on the partnership’s achievements and to exploring opportunities for further cooperation.
He acknowledged that both countries were operating in an increasingly complex global environment characterised by evolving strategic, political and economic challenges.
Despite these circumstances, Ambassador Rössel expressed confidence that the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and Germany would provide a solid foundation for addressing emerging issues and sustaining mutually beneficial cooperation in the years ahead.
He also welcomed the ministry’s readiness to continue working with Germany, noting the importance of maintaining established partnerships while adapting to evolving circumstances.
In her remarks, the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, congratulated Ambassador Rössel on his appointment, welcomed him to Nigeria, and expressed the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with him and with relevant German agencies.
She emphasised the importance of translating bilateral agreements and shared commitments into practical outcomes, noting that effective implementation remained critical to achieving the partnership’s objectives.
Dr Uzoka-Anite assured the ambassador that the ministry would continue to facilitate collaboration and support efforts to ensure joint initiatives progressed efficiently and delivered meaningful results.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Deborah Odoh, also welcomed the German delegation, describing Germany as a reliable partner whose technical expertise, knowledge exchange and experience had contributed to Nigeria’s development.
She said the ministry expects the ambassador’s tenure to create further opportunities to strengthen cooperation and to advance the longstanding relationship between the two countries.
The courtesy visit reaffirmed Nigeria and Germany’s shared commitment to sustaining bilateral engagement, deepening economic cooperation, and exploring opportunities for expanded investment and development collaboration.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says exporters in Imo generated a total of 1,244,095 dollars as proceeds from export trade in 2025.
The Imo Coordinator of the council, Mr Anthony Ajuruchi, disclosed this during a follow-up engagement with cocoa farmers in the state on Thursday in Owerri.
50 cocoa farmers and exporters in Imo received 30 cocoa seedlings each in 2025 as part of interventions to boost production for export.
Ajuruchi said the amount was derived from proceeds of both formal and informal export transactions carried out by the farmers within the 2025 fiscal year.
He commended the Executive Director of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, and the management team for their support and commitment to the growth of the export market in Imo and across the country.
According to him, the council recorded notable achievements in 2025, including the organisation of capacity-building programmes on non-oil export, product packaging and labelling.
“In addition to our interventions for cashew farmers, we conducted trainings on product development and adaptation, export contracts, market penetration, product certification and export documentation procedures.
“We also trained about 600 exporters and small and medium-scale enterprises,” he said.
Ajuruchi said the engagement with the cocoa farmers was aimed at obtaining feedback and brainstorming on strategies to increase production and export volume in 2026.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Sophia Orji, said the cocoa seedlings she received were doing well and had started fruiting after 17 months.
Another farmer, Mrs Mary Okeke, said her cocoa plants were thriving and appealed to NEPC to extend similar support to farmers during the rainy season.
Also speaking, Mr Canice Nze, Director of Produce in the Imo Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Investment, urged the farmers to register with the ministry to enable them benefit from cooperative structures and access possible government grants. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
In line with the consumer-focused objectives of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the two regulators have drawn up a framework to address consumer complaints arising from unsuccessful airtime and data transactions during network downtimes, system glitches, or human input errors.
The framework is the outcome of several months of engagements involving the NCC, the CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), and other relevant stakeholders.
According to the NCC, these engagements were prompted by a rising incidence of failed airtime and data purchases, where subscribers were debited without receiving value and experienced delays in resolution.
“The Framework represents a unified position by both the telecommunications and financial sectors on addressing such complaints. It identifies and tackles the root causes of failed airtime and data transactions, including instances where bank accounts are debited without successful delivery of services. It also prescribes an enforceable Service Level Agreement (SLA) for MNOs and DMBs, clearly outlining the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in the transaction and resolution process,” a statement by Head of Public Affairs of NCC, Nnen Ukoha said.
Under the new framework, where a purchaser is debited but fails to receive value for airtime or data—whether the failure occurs at the bank level or with an NCC licensee—the purchaser is entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, except in circumstances where the transaction remains pending, of which the refund can take up to 24 hours.
The framework further mandates operators to notify consumers via SMS of the success or failure of every transaction. It also addresses erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases, and instances where transactions are made to the wrong phone number.
Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett in a comment on the development said the framework also establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. According to her, the dashboard will enable both regulators to monitor failures, the responsible party, refunds, and track SLA breaches in real time.
“Failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints, and in line with our commitment to addressing these priority issues, we were determined to resolve it within the shortest possible time,” she said.
“We are grateful to all stakeholders—particularly the Central Bank of Nigeria and its leadership—for their tireless commitment to resolving this issue and arriving at this framework, and for ensuring that consumers of telecommunications services receive full value for their purchases.
“So far, pending the approval of management of both regulators on the framework, MNOs and banks have collectively made refunds of over N10 billion to customers for failed transactions” she explained .
Mrs. Bruce-Bennett further noted that implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, once the two regulators have made final approvals, and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers and DMBs is concluded.
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