Obey Court Order On e-Customs Project Controversy, Lawyers Tell Malami

Two lawyers, Messrs Ahmed Raji and Dipo Okpeseyi, have urged the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami to obey a court order in respect of a dispute on the multi-million Naira e-Customs Modernisation project.

The lawyers who are both members of the inner bar, have in separate letters warned the AGF; the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and Secretary to the Government of the Federation of “underhand efforts being made to obtain the Federal Executive Council’s approval and or ratification of the re-award of the e-Customs Modernisation Project.”

The lawyers also asked the Federal Executive Council to suspend discontinue or discountenance any request to initiate deliberations or a fresh request for approval for the award of the said contract to any other bidder aside the original approval granted by FEC to Messrs e-Customs  Project Limited.

“It is in spite of all these that the Nigeria Customs Service is pushing to have the FEC grant another approval with the sole purpose to embarrass, over reach and undermine the earlier approval and ratification by the FEC and prejudice the matter pending in court,” said Mr Okpeseyi in his letter to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation dated April 11, 2023.

It would be recall that a Federal High Court in Abuja had in June, 2022, restrained the Federal Government from enforcing or giving effect to an agreement on the Customs Modernisation Project otherwise known as e- Customs allegedly executed by its agents on May 30, 2022.

On 20 February, 2023, the court admonished all parties in the matter to preserve the res of any matter before court and do nothing to interfere with the proceedings.

The court also issued an order of interim injunction against the federal government or its agents, acting through the Federal Executive.

Council, from retrospectively ratifying the decision to concession the Customs Modernisation Project also known as e- customs project to Trade Modernization Project Limited, Huawei Technologies Company Limited and African Finance Corporation.