“I, particularly, give credit to the CBN under the then Governor, Godwin Emefiele because there was strong pressure that settlement should be made. Our team was in the minority that we must fight till the end. There was also apprehension that if we didn’t settle and the court would now give judgment against us, Nigeria would lose everything. But for them to have confidence in us, there was one man in the CBN, the Director of Legal Services; he gave us the confidence, gave us the support, and ensured that we were able to present to the UK lawyers that this was a fraud. So, I am most grateful, I completely agree with the honourable Attorney General that this is a big fraud.”
Aondoakaa’s comment on how Emefiele and few others resisted pressure, also confirmed what presidency sources revealed at the time that many, including top government officials, had mounted pressure on the then President Muhammadu Buhari to approve payment for the award to avoid a heavier penalty if the matter dragged on.
Emefiele was said to have resisted and advised the President strongly against such approval, staking his name in convincing the president that the contract was fraudulent and that the P &ID would not succeed in court if Nigeria hired competent lawyers. It was based on the assurances of Emefiele that President Buhari refused payment and rather encouraged litigation, which eventually favoured Nigeria.
The federal government had on Monday won the legal case against P&ID Limited in a London court.
The judgment was delivered after five years of legal frameworks.
