An indigenous contractor, Macobarb International Limited has accused the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) of corporate hostility to local businesses.
Chief Executive Officer of the Macobarb International Limited, Shedrack Ogboru, who made the accusation in a chat with newsmen recently, said this corporate disposition was responsible for the non-payment of court awarded costs to it by the gas company.
Ogboru hails from Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government area of Delta State, a critical component of the Niger Delta region.
Ogboru stated that a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt presided over by Blessing Vic-Jumbo had on Monday, February 7, 2022 in suit number PMC/1015/CS/2021 awarded the cost of N5,000 against the NLNG in his company’s favour, informing that more than a year after that the NLNG was yet to pay the money.
In another instance, a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt presided over by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, while “ruling on another suit, this time civil, demanding for payment, awarded N200,000 against the NLNG for wasting the court’s time”.
He informed that Justice Nwogu gave this ruling in Suit No.: PHC/2013/CS/2022 on Friday, December 9, 2022, asserting that this sum was also yet to be paid by the company.
Shedrack Ogboru, who alongside his company, Macobarb International Limited, had dragged the NLNG around various institutions across Nigeria, demanding for payment of over N4.2billion, averred that the gas company “simply wanted to frustrate an indigenous contractor, and nothing more”.
He further averred that the reason why his company was marked for destruction had nothing to do with competence – because Macobarb was promoted by the NLNG to a higher grade – and nothing to do with the management, revealing that something happened in the workplace for which his firm was marked for destruction.
Ogboru further stated that since it appeared that the NLNG was bent on denying him payment and would rather sustain what he termed “grievous debts”, he wrote to the new NLNG Managing Director, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, on Monday, February 6, 2023, to demand for these payments.
He said NLNG lawyers, Babalakin & Co Chambers, wrote to Macobarb on Monday, February 20, 2023, admitting liability to the N5,000 but promised to pay as soon as possible, he added that the letter, however, communicated their refusal to pay the N200,000 due to their intention of going on appeal.
Part of the letter reads: “We cannot end this letter without commenting on your very bogus claim of N4.2Bn. For your information, the NLNG totally disavows this liability. The NLNG is vigorously defending this claim in court.”
The Niger Delta born businessman pointed out that “by this letter and by the actions of the NLNG, they have grievously failed to pay any amount since I petitioned for full payment in 2016, neither in millions, billions or even N5,000 awarded by a court which they have admitted”.
“This shows an intent to crush Macobarb via payment denial whether the payment is validly provided for in the contract terms or is awarded by a court. This is true revelation of what goes on behind the scene against a Nigerian contractor such as Macobarb.”
Efforts by Kristina Reports to have the NLNG respond to the claims by the Macobarb International CEO were yet unsuccessful as it was yet to respond to enquiries sent to it via email.
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