NIGER STATE GOVERNMENT FILES A MULTI-BILLION NAIRA SUIT AGAINST TWO POWER GENERATING COMPANIES 22-01-24
By Sadiq Aminu The Niger State Government has dragged two power generating companies the North-South Power Company Limited and the Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited before the Federal High Court Two in the State over non payment of ground rents and Land charges from 2017 to 2022.
Joined in the two suits are the Federal Ministry of Power and the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company.
The suit instituted by the State Internal Revenue Service is praying the court to mandate the Two power generating companies to pay about one hundred and forty billion Naira due to the State within the period.
As Plaintiff, the Service in two separate cases is also urging the court to declare that being an agency of the State it has the responsibility to demand from the defendants all the ground rents and land charges due and outstanding concerning the landed property and facilities being used and operated by the defendants in the State.
Counsel to the Plaintiff in the twin cases, Mohammed Ndayako, SAN and Aliyu Lemu SAN sought for an order from the court directing the defendants to pay the plaintiff all the accrued charges.
The Counsels also prayed the court to direct the defendants to pay ten percent interest on the judgment sum per annum until the same is fully liquidated and to pay the plaintiff the cost of the litigation as may be assessed by the Court.
However, in the first case involving North-South Power Company Limited, the defendant was not in Court while in the second case involving the Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited its counsel was in the Court.
Justice Abdullahi Mohammed Dan-Ige of the Court adjourned the case to the nineteenth of February 2024 to allow service of the court processes to the defendants not in court in the two cases.