One of the consultants in the payment of the Paris Club loan refund to the states has dragged governors Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Darius Ishiaku of Taraba State and 34 other state governors to court over their refusal to pay their consultancy fees.
The consultant, Ned Nwoko is praying the court to compel them to pay him $176m or the naira equivalent of N53.6bn (at official N305/dollar) as his consultancy fee.
According to him, the governors and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum failed to settle him but paid those he described as phoney consultants.
In his statement of claims, he said, “Despite repeated demands, the defendants have failed or refused or neglected to pay to me the sums due to me for the services rendered.
“That I have not been paid the sums due and payable to me by the state governments and that the defendants made payment of the said sum to some phoney and sham consultants.”
Nwoko argued that instead of “paying to me the sums due and payable to me for the legal and consultancy services rendered, which led to the realisation of the said release and payment (of the Paris Club refund),” the NGF, governors, Ministry of Finance “caused part of the said money released for legal and consultancy fees to be paid to phoney and sham consultants, who did not render any consultancy and legal services to the state governments.
Nwoko’s Solicitors, also asked that his firm be paid $71,936,881.36 and N21,940,748,814.30 by 15 states.
Some of the states that signed agreements to pay 10 per cent to their consultants are Abia, Kogi, Adamawa, Taraba, Delta and Zamfara.
While Ondo State signed to pay 12 per cent, states like Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, Niger signed to pay 15 per cent.
Bayelsa, Oyo and Edo states agreed to pay 20 per cent to their consultants, Punch reports.