The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday vacated the interim order that has for the past few weeks, stalled the Nigeria Customs Service Modernisation project, following a suit instituted by Bionica Technologies (West Africa) Limited.
Vacating the order, Justice I.E Ekwo ruled that while the interim order, which he granted to the plaintiffs on 17th June, 2022 had expired, it was necessary for the court to formally make a pronouncement to vacate the order.
You will recall that a Nigerian company, Trade Modernisation Project Limited signed a 20-year concession agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria on 30 May 2022, to improve the business processes of the Service.
The company, which is a Special Purpose Vehicle is working with Huawei Technologies Limited as the Lead Technical Partner and the Africa Finance Corporation as the Lead Financier for the project.
According to Justice Ekwo, it was imperative to vacate the order, given that the order was affecting the revenue collection of the Federal Government.
Speaking to a legal practitioner, it was gathered that the vacation of the order means that the very important project, as part of the Federal Government’s effort to diversify the economy, can now proceed without further hindrance.
