Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) refers to its report on this subject-matter dated December 14, 2022 and writes to report to its Board of Trustees, Staff, Volunteers/members as well as our funders, local and international development partners about the outcome of this case in Suit N0. PHC/1057/CS/2021 today, February 8, 2023.

The High Court sitting in the Port Harcourt Division of the Rivers State Judiciary sat over this matter today as adjourned from December 13, 2022.

The business of today as adjourned from December 13, 2022 was to start substantive hearing in the matter after one year and six months since the case was filed on April 1, 2021 over defamation of the characters of YEAC-Nigeria and Fyneface Dumnamene for allegedly “stealing” the idea of “Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI)” but continually gets adjourned over filling of unnecessary motions among others by the defendant.

When the matter that was listed N0. 2 in Court was called by 11:20AM following the presence of the claimants and their counsel, there was neither Mr. Mao Nangi Obu in court nor his lawyers. The matter was thus stood down to wait for them.

Again, while the waiting process lasted, Counsel to the Claimants, Chioma Choko Esq. stepped out to attend to other matters in another court. By then, Counsel to the Defendant who had arrived requested for the matter to be called and the Court called up the case but the Claimants’ Counsel was absent.

The Honourable Court thus said as the Claimants’ Counsel is not seated as he was not in court earlier, he should also wait for him to come and the matter was stood down again.

Both Counsels and three members of YEAC-Nigeria including its Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface who were in court waiting since morning soon attracted the attention of the Honourable Court and the matter was called up again for hearing.

At this point, the Counsel to the defendant told the court that he is not aware that the case was adjourned to today, February 8, 2023 for hearing therefore, he is not prepared or ready to have the matter heard by the court and called for the case to be adjourned.

The Court, Counsel to the Claimants and the claimants themselves were all shocked to hear this from the defendant’s Counsel but were not surprised as that has been part of their stocks in law to frustrate the case from proceeding since since 2021 with a view of evading justice.

The defendant’s counsel went further to say that he has a motion filed before the court for the amendment of their counterclaims earlier filed before the court among others and that the motion should be taken.

At this point, the court told both Counsels to activate the next adjourned date which was set on December 13, 2022 and which Counsel to the Defendant also earlier called for it to be adjourned and for the hearing to commence that day since the defendant’s counsel said he was not aware of today being a date for hearing.

Also, the defendant’s counsel who pretended he is not aware of today as hearing date as part of their delay tactics for the case not to be heard as they have been doing since 2021 however further told the Honourable court to hear his own motion for amendment. The court responded that the matter is already adjourned as he requested and that the motion would be taken on the next adjourned date being February 14, 2023.

The case was thus re-confirmed adjourned to February 14, 2023.

We wish to also brief you that the defendant went on our website at www.centreadvocacy.org and screenshot our publication in response to his malicious publication that we stole his idea dated March 21, 2021 and file same before the court that we called him “Mr. Plagiarism” and should publish apology to him on national dailies and pay him N105million as damages among others forming part of the amendment being sought.

(Note that “Mr. Plagiarism” came from his libelous publication in which he said “the crux of the matter is that plagiarism is a crime in this country” and both YEAC-Nigeria and Mr. Fyneface Dumnamene has committed the crime against him and for which he has contacted his lawyers and for which he has been known by those who read the post he made by himself on social media is what he is turning around to tell the organization and Fyneface that they have committed a crime against him by using his own words. Wonders shall never end for someone who commits a crime and looking for an escape route!)

The filling made by the defendant’s lawyers on his behalf dated February 7, 2023 also suggests that they want to go to an Appeal Court to appeal the rulings so far made by the High Court; an attempt that the claimants are not against and the court also confirmed to be their rights when Counsel to the Claimants drew the Court’s attention to it.

YEAC-Nigeria and Fyneface Dumnamene are both also waiting to meet them at the Appeal Court when activated!

To this end, we urge our members, partners, Board of Trustees in Nigeria and the United Kingdom to keep faith with YEAC-Nigeria over this matter as we will continue to update on its proceedings till logical conclusion. We did NOT steal anyone’s idea therefore; we did not deserve the unprintable names we got called on social media by the defendant and for which we are in court.

The Claimants reintegrate that the said idea of PACORDI was well-developed by the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria on July 27, 2020 and in August 2020 used it to win a $3,500 from Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) from the United States of America upon the recommendation by the West African Board of GGF headed by Rev. Dr. Nnimmo Bassey and the implementation of the last project activities in December 2020 published in the Guardian Newspaper on December 21, 2022 was seen by Mr. Nangi and he thought we stole his idea of October 20, 2020 and published in December 2020. What a great error!

Note that we have the express permission of GGF through the West African Board to mention and use their name in this Suit and case to clear ourselves as those who funded PACORDI with $3,500 BEFORE the October 20, 2020 date that Mr. Nangi claimed he conceived and published about it.

It is on record that the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface since 2013 till date spends at least 6 and half hours on different radio stations alone (apart from newspapers and TV Stations locally) weekly advocating on Artisanal Refineries and related environmental issues where the idea of PACORDI were also being used between July and October 2020 thus exposing it for Mao Nangi to allegedly “steal”, used for a video as his birthday gift on October 20, 2020, claimed it to be his own and threatened YEAC-NIGERIA and its Executive Director that has arguably advocated, written and coauthored more reports and publications on the subject matter than any of his peers in the whole of Niger Delta/Nigeria while also serving as the National Facilitator, Project with Artisanal Crude Oil Refiners for Modular Refineries in the Niger Delta consulted by both local and international organizations among others.

The Executive Director, YEAC-NIGERIA uses the occasion of today’s court sitting to challenge anyone or individual in the Niger Niger and Nigeria as a whole in the NGO who has done more advocacies, reports, publications, videos, press releases, briefing papers, proffer solutions or consulted more locally by State and Federal Governments, National Assembly and international organizations and institutions on issues around or related to crude oil theft, artisanal refineries and related issues in the Niger Delta to come out for the comparisons of notes and presentations of works done so far among others.

The truth will always prevail over someone being sponsored to drag down a Niger Delta Sun (yes, I mean Sun ☀️) with character defamation. However, it is a matter of time and the son of man will be glorified.

FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE FYNEFACE,
Executive Director, YEAC-NIGERIA,
February 8, 2023