Court Appoints Liquidator As Dantata & Sawoe Fails To Pay $1.4m Dangote Debt

The Federal High Court in Abuja has appointed a liquidator to wind up Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Limited after the company failed to honour a $1.4m settlement linked to subcontract work on the Dangote Fertilizer Plant in Lekki, Lagos.

Justice Mohammed Umar made the order on Wednesday after ruling that the company had been given more than enough time to settle its indebtedness to Zutari Consulting Nigeria Ltd, yet repeatedly returned to court with “excuses rather than payment.”

The decision follows months of winding-up proceedings, including a court-approved advertisement of the petition against Dantata & Sawoe in two national newspapers.

Zutari Consulting, an engineering design and supervision firm, was engaged in 2015 to execute design components on Dantata & Sawoe’s subcontract for the Dangote Fertilizer Plant.

After completing its work, the company said Dantata & Sawoe owed it “$1,257,592.83, ZAR 2,136,623.39, and £4,364.38.”

The payment dispute was referred to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration in London, which on April 7, 2021, issued a final award holding Dantata & Sawoe liable.

Despite this, the debt remained unsettled. The Federal High Court had previously granted multiple adjournments and a 30-day extension to allow the parties conclude settlement negotiations.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Zutari’s lawyer, Chris Ekemezie, told the court that the construction company had refused to settle the full amount, insisting that the petitioner deserved more than the 75% payment proposed by Dantata & Sawoe.

The respondent’s legal team argued they were willing to pay 75%, but the offer was rejected.

Justice Umar, however, held that the respondent’s conduct showed clear unwillingness to pay despite several adjournments granted to facilitate settlement.

The court then appointed Joseph Abiolu, FCA, as liquidator to wind up Dantata & Sawoe under Sections 571(d), 572, and 573(1)(b) of CAMA 2020, which outline the conditions for court-ordered liquidation.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to February 18, 2026, for the liquidator’s report.