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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A private firm and its managing director, Mr. Kenneth Ibe-Kalu, has filed a N5 trillion suit against the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court challenging the conversion of its original idea on the highway concession project in the country.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1047/2022, Hugiano Embold Solutions Limited and its managing director, Ibe-Kalu, alleged that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing infringed on their copyright, plagiarised and renamed the original design of the National Transformation Tourists Centres (NTTC) with the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HMDI).
Other defendants listed in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICD), the Minister Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Federal Road Safety Commission, National Planning Commission, KPMG Advisory Services, Incorporated Trustees of Pan-Atlantic University Foundation (Lagos Business School), United Kingdom Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility Programme).
On the last adjourned date, the managing director of the limited liability company, Ibe-Kalu who was led in evidence by his counsel, John Osegi, tendered several contractual documents including a letter of endorsement, and a notice to produce documents, among others.
At the proceedings, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture; National Planning Commission, and the United Kingdom Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (United Kingdom-Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility Programme), listed as 4th, 6th, and 10th defendants were not in court.
After the evidence of the first witness, Kenneth Ibe-Kalu, counsel to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Ezekiel Dairo informed the court that he was not prepared to conduct the cross-examination of the witness.
Consequently, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon,adjourned the matter to May 2, 2024, for the defendants to cross-examine him.
In his statement of claim, Ibe-Kalu averred that he designed the NTTC as a national development vision for the construction of tourist centers along corridors of all federal roads in Nigeria to be sited after every 100 kilometers along the 34,123 kilometers length of federal roads in Nigeria with a total of 340 centers.
He said before the project was hijacked, he raised the initial $15 billion required to equip the center with many departments such as hotels, pharmacy departments, commercial towing van centers car washes, bedding highway clinics, farmers markets, tourist centers fast food centers supermarkets, movie and music marketing centers children’s parks, vehicle parks, mini banks, security and rapid response agencies, National Orientation Agency help desk and other support services.
