CONTEMPT: RSBIR Drags NDDC MD To Court For Unsealing The Premises Of NDDC

The Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue (RSBIR) has initiated
a contempt proceeding before the High Court of Rivers State against
the MD and 3 other officials of the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC) for unsealing the premises of the NDDC without a
court order.

The Suit No. is OHC23//2019 and the parties are RSBIR vs NDDC,
Prof. Nelson Brambaita, Acting Managing Director Chris Amadi
(Acting Executtve Director Finance and Administration), Adjogbe
Samuel (Acting Executive Director Project) and Kaltungo Moljengo,
Director of Legal Services.

Following an application by the Rivers State Board of Internal
Revenue; RSBIR the High Court of Rivers State has granted the
service of Form 49, Order of committal on Professor Nelson
Brambaifa, Acting Managing Director; Chris Amadi (Acting Executive
Director, Finance and Administration; Adjogbe Samuel, acting
Executive Director, Project and Kaltunge Moljengo, Director, Legal
Service, all of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, by
substituted service over alleged disobedience of the order of the
court.

According to the affidavit filed by RSBIR, earlier, Form 48,
notice of consequence of disobedience of order of the court had
been served on the Acting MD and the other 3 officials of NDDC and
the events that gave rise to the contempt proceeding are as
follows;

On the 17th of April 2019 the court Ordered that NDDC is
indebted to RSBIS to the tune of N50b being outstanding tax
liability owed the Government of Rivers State by NDDC with respect
to PAYE, WHT and other taxes unpaid for the period; 2012 to
2017.

The court also ordered the issuance of a warrant authorising
RSBIR to seal any land and or any other property belonging to NDDC
in order to recover the said sum of N50b owed by NDDC.

It further ordered NDDC to pay the sum of N20m as cost
incidental to the recovery of the amount owed.

On the 23rd of April 2019 RSBIR executed the Order and sealed
three property in Port Harcourt belonging to NDDC. On the 24th NDDC
had a meeting with RSBIR and after the meeting wrote a letter to
RSBIR requesting that their property should be unsealed by
RSBIR.
After the said letter meetings were held by NDDC and RSBIR in the
course of which NDDC agreed to make payment on account as a
condition for unsealing their premises and through their Tax
Consultant and acting MD even offered an amount that was accepted
by RSBIR, after which they offered to make payment shortly.
Rather make payment on account as agreed NDDC filed a Notice of
Appeal at the Court of Appeal on the 26th of April 2019 challenging
the decision that it is indebted to RSBIR and on the 30th of April
2019 also filed at the Court of Appeal a motion to stay the
execution of the said Order that has been executed since the 23rd
of April 2019 and to restrain RSBIR from attempting to seal or
sealing the premises of NDDC pending the determination of the
Appeal.

On the 6th of May 2019, without an order of court, NDDC unsealed
all three premises which were sealed by RSBIR, repossessed them and
put lots of armed mobile policemen in front of their premises.

As a result of the unsealing of the premises without an Order of
court, Form 48 (Notice of consequence of disobedience to order of
court) was served on the Acting MD and the other three officials of
NDDC.

Presently, there are three motions filed by the NDDC that are
pending at the Court of Appeal and one pending at the High Court
with respect to the contempt proceeding and interestingly, in all
these applications NDDC has said nothing about the fact that the
Order had actually been executed by RSBIR and that it re-opened the
premises without a court order.

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Army to Support UNDP’s Rebuilding Programme in
N/East

As the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP-Nigeria)
prepares to flag-off it various stabilization programme in the
troubled North-Eastern region of the country, Lieutenant-General
Tukur Yusuf Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has assured
the international organization’s President
Representative-Designate, Mr. Mohammed Yahaya, of Nigerian Army’s
full support towards the successful implementation of all their
laudable projects.

Lt. Gen. Buratai, informed the UNDP’s President
Representative-Designate, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Army
Headquarters that NA will provide maximum security to officials of
UNDP and aid workers to be deployed across the North-East, for
their humanitarian exercise.

“We want to assure you that the Army is ready, and will fully
provide an enabling environment for your men to perform their jobs
without apprehension of terrorists’ attacks. The NA is very proud
of UNDP, and immensely appreciate their various intervention
programmes in Nigeria. We urge other local Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) and international bodies to also embark on
executing life-touching projects in the North-East. And they can be
sure that NA will offer them her overwhelming support,
collaboration and robust partnership,” he said.
The COAS, who congratulated Mr. Yahaya on his recent appointment as
UNDP-Nigeria’s President Representative, also highlighted some
enviable strides recorded by the organisation, especially in the
area of peace building and conflict resolution to several
war-plagued and conflict-ridden African nations.

“At the moment, the NA has inaugurated and launched several
stabilization programmes and rebuilding projects in the North-East.
In fact, most of these landmark projects have been implemented to
remarkable extents,” he disclosed.

Speaking earlier, Mr. Mohammed, said the purpose of initiating
and flagging-off their stabilization programme is to assist the
Nigerian Government in addressing the excruciating plight of
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and communities which have been
ravaged by insurgency.

“The idea behind designing and implementing our stabilization
programme is to also draw the attention of other key stakeholders
to speedily help rehabilitate victims of insurgency. They should
come in and help restore the IDPs’ once-upon-a-time means of
livelihood. They should assist in empowering displaced persons.
They should lend their financial supports towards rebuilding vital
infrastructure in the North-East,” he stated.

While soliciting NA’s support, the UNDP’s envoy, emphasized that
their stabilization programme is all about restoring the source of
livelihood of the IDPs’ and other victims of extremism, rebuilding
critical infrastructure, and reconstruction of wrecked communities,
among others.

By PRNigeria