The suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2429/2023 will be heard at Court 40, Bwari.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will on Tuesday, commence hearing in the defamatory suit a Nigerian in the diaspora, Dr Frederick Odorige brought against the chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the Commission.
The suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2429/2023 will be heard at Court 40, Bwari.
The Claimant, Odorige, is claiming from the Defendants – Abike Dabiri-Erewa (1st defendant) and NiDCOM (2nd defendant) jointly and severally N1.3 billion as exemplary and general damages for allegedly publishing a defamatory statement against him.
The Claimant who is a Nigerian based in Hungary, was the former Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Hungary and current Global Coordinator of the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria, USA.
Odorige in his statement of claim avers that on July 15, 2022, via his Twitter handle @Fodorige, he said thus:
“Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, under Abike Dabiri-Erewa, & Min. of Health- Osagie Ehanire, jointly proposed N234.6m to attract medical professionals from the diaspora. N24m to be spent on trainings & conferences abroad. A NiDCOM without a board!
“@gcsdn_org shall ask questions.”
The claimant further told the court that the 1st Defendant (Dabiri-Erewa) had conceptualised the framework for the Ministry of Health, to engage Nigerian health professionals resident abroad and she reportedly gave the idea to the Minister of Health to include in the 2020 budget of the Ministry of health.
“This was clearly stated by the Minister when he defended the budget before the House of Representatives. The budget defense was published on various Nigeria media including Vanguard Newspaper, https://www.vanguardngr.com/
He also informed the court that Dabiri-Erewa in reaction to his post defamed his person and character when she posted via her Twitter handle @abikedabiri on July 15, 2022 thus: “The shame is on @FOdorige, and his sponsors. Hope @NIDOEurope1 has noted their hungry member who lives in Hungary. He wanted to exploit Nigerians stranded in Ukraine but we resisted. So @FOdorige is hungry and angry.”
He also noted that Dabiri-Erewa’s NiDCOM, through Abdur-Rahman Balogun (Head Media, Public Relations and Protocol) further published a rejoinder stating thus:
“While the said Hungary-based Frederick Odorige of one Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria whom Sahara Reporters quoted, is notorious for dark, spurious, ridiculously bizarre allegations and should ordinarily be ignored, we are responding....”
The claimant in a release on Monday announcing the commencement of the hearing on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, stated that the responses were clearly intended to dent his reputation and bully him from speaking up.
He said, “2020 was the year of global lockdown. How was the money spent if released? Which of these activities were implemented during the period of the pandemic? There was nowhere in my post where I accused anyone of corruption.
“If the responses could be this aggressive from supposed public servants, it means that there is a need for further investigation over what is fishing. It has become more suspicious because letters severally written by my lawyer to the Ministry of health for clarification on the subject matter, were deliberately ignored in contravention of the Freedom of Information Act.
“My tenure as a NIDO Chairman elapsed before the evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine. I was neither involved nor aware of what Abike and NiDCOM mentioned in their allegations. The executive members of NIDO Hungary worked selflessly and tirelessly in supporting Nigerians from Ukraine. No form of scandal was heard of.”
He noted that he gave Dabiri-Erewa two weeks to tender an unreserved apology and retraction which must be published on Twitter and five national daily newspapers with nationwide circulation in Nigeria.
“My lawyer also requested her to pay the sum of Three Hundred Million Naira as compensation for her ill-advised, false, misleading and malicious publications against my person but she ignored the request.”
“Dabiri-Erewa is very familiar with the weight of the defamation of character. In 2015 she sued Punch newspaper and Diamond Bank for N500m as damages for alleged libel.
“I wish to notify those involved, that I will take further legal actions to request how the funds in question were released and spent. Furthermore, legal actions shall be taken to compel the National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to publish how the excess of over $4m was spent from the release of $8.5m for the evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Odorige is seeking the following from the court: “A DECLARATION of this Honourable Court that the publication by the 1st Defendant in this suit on or about and concerning the person of the Claimant is injurious to the person and status of the Claimant.
“A DECLARATION of the Honourable Court that the publication of the 1st Defendant in this suit concerning, on or about the person and personality of the Claimant in this suit is injurious, diminishing and defamatory against the integrity, person, reputation and personality of the Claimant.
“A DECLARATION of this Honourable Court that the publication by the 2nd Defendant in this suit on, or about and concerning the person of the Claimant is injurious to the person and status of the Claimant.
“A DECLARATION of this Honourable Court that the publication of the 2nd Defendant in this suit concerning on, or about the person and personality of the Claimant in this suit is injurious, diminishing and defamatory against the integrity, person, reputation and personality of the Claimant
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the 1st and 2nd Defendants to publish a retraction and an unconditional apology to the Claimant using the same twitter handle/address that they used in publishing the libelous materials against the Claimant, as well as in three national daily newspaper in Nigeria.
“An ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the 1st Defendant in this suit to pay the sum of Three Hundred Million Naira (N300,000,000.00) to the Claimant as general damages for the Defendant's libelous publication against the person, reputation and personality of the Claimant.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the 1st Defendant in this suit to pay the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira (N500.000 000.00) as exemplary damages to the Claimant for the Defendant's false and malicious publication of libelous materials against the person, reputation and personality of the Claimant in this suit.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the 2nd Defendant in this suit to pay the sum of Three Hundred Million Naira (N300.000.000.00) to the Claimant as general damages for the Defendants libelous publication against the person, reputation and personality of the Claimant
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the 2nd Defendant in this suit to pay the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira (N500.000.000.00) as exemplary damages to the Claimant for the Defendant's false and malicious publication of libelous materials against the person, reputation and personality of the Claimant in this suit.
“AN ORDER of Perpetual Injunction restraining the Defendant from in any way instigating, initiating, sponsoring, or in any way further publishing any material capable of being injurious and diminishing to the person, reputation and personality of the Claimant in this suit.
“And 10% interest on the judgment sums from the date judgment is delivered in this suit to the date the Defendants finally liquidate the judgment sums.”