Paris Club Refund: Malami’s Action against Public Morality, Interest, Say Govs

The 36 State Governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) have strongly chastised the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami over his directive to pay the Paris Club Consultants, even when the matter was still in the Court of Appeal.

The governors stated this in reaction to the directive by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation in a statement yesterday, by the Head, Media and Public Affairs, NGF, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, insisting that the mere fact that Malami directed the Minister of Finance to pay was very suspicious.

Malami had in a statement at the weekend issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrin Gwandu, faulted the insinuation that he was acting without due process in the settlement of certain judgment debts arising from the deduction and refunds due to the states and local governments from the Paris Club loan refunds, insisting that at the onset, the deductions were on account of four judgments in contention which were delivered at various times in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.