Firm threatens court action against NB Plc

Evanpower Engineering Limited has threatened to drag Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc to court over alleged usage of its Intellectual Property without pay.

The company, in a petition by its Counsel, A.U.G Ojinta to the Managing Director of the Nigeria Breweries Plc, demanded for the payment of N750m and N3.7m as fees for the blueprint design and work done respectively at its Ama Plant in Enugu State.

He said: “Our client said in July, 2014, your company’s Access Control System at Ama was struck by lightning and Superterm Control Panel at the security room at Entrance Gate 2 was damaged. Your company had advertised for the repair, but because it was a highly specialist job, none of your registered vendors/contractors could handle or bidded for it.

“She repaired the broken down Superterm panel and got the panel to work with the Turnstile gate. This particular service was paid for by your company”.

Ojinta stated that following the repair, the NB Plc. asked his client to apply for registration as vendor/contractor, and was registered on May 21, 2015, under the automation, instrumentation and control system category.

He stated that his client was issued work permit after the registration and was instructed to work on revamping the Access Control System at the Ama plant in June 2017.

NB Plc., however, denied any liability to the Engineering firm, as there was no record of such transaction. Its Legal Manager, Operations, Mr. Chidubem Aguguo, said there was no merit in the claim.