Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday faulted the hearing of arbitrations on the contracts signed by the Federal Government with international organizations in the United Kingdom, IgbereTV reports
The dispute between the federal government and the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) is one of the arbitrations involving Nigeria taking place in the UK.
A British Arbitration tribunal had in September 2020 ordered the release of the $200 million guarantee to the Nigerian government for the stay of execution granted to the country pending the appeal filed against the judgment of a court in the European nation for the execution of the arbitral award of $10 billion to P&ID.
The former President, who addressed participants at the launch of a book titled: “Arbitration and Dispute Resolutions in Nigeria,” written by the Traditional Ruler of Abureni kingdom, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, King Collins Daniel, charged the bodies responsible for resolving disputes in the country to ensure that arbitrations for the government contracts are carried out in the country for proper understanding.
He said: “Let me use this unique opportunity to charge the bodies in this country that are responsible for either arbitration or resolving issues to work hard to ensure that arbitrations are done in Nigeria.
“Because all the contracts the Nigerian government entered with international organisations, arbitrations are always done in the United Kingdom. Can’t we do some of these arbitrations in Nigeria?
“I don’t know why it must be the United Kingdom, why it must be outside Nigeria. I think we need to work hard so that some of these things will be done here in Nigeria.
“As non-lawyers, we look at issues of resolving disputes in two different ways, one that takes place in the courtroom and one that takes place outside the courtroom.
