By Chibuike Nwabuko
Professor of Economics and businessman, Pat Utomi has alleged that it was Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s violation of contract terms signed by his predecessor that brought the shame of seizure of jets from the Presidential fleet.
Utomi who took to his X account on Sunday and indirectly mocked Amosun over his embarassing achievements, recalls that the Chinese were not the only victims, stressing that one prominent Ogun indigene allegedly committed suicide with similar Amosun’s action.
Narrating how he was also a victim, Utomi said: “. I too was a victim. I had leased OPIC land in Lagos in a BOT agreement under Gov Daniel. Amosun stopped all such on being sworn in. I called him. He said he did not see my name on the list. I went to Abeokuta and he called in Yewandw Amusan who said mine was a straight forward deal they did not include it. He asked that all be included but mine be quickly sorted. That began a rigmarole that went on for years. I made another trip to Abeokuta. He drove me back to Lagos at the wheels with my driver trailing along with the escorts and sirens. He had earlier asked that I make a request for refund of what I paid even though my South African partners and I had invested 200m in addition to the lease amount at the time. With just two of us in the car he advised I make a claim for100m and write for additional payments the day after I cash the cheque. It was surreal but if I got nothing more it would be better than being in court until we both retire. I took the case to APC leader BAT and Baba Akande. No result. Took it to Dapo Abiodun when he took over. Nothing came of it. If this happened to Frieda I wondered what enemies were going through. I lost my weary SA partners who owned a successful regional chain across Southern Africa and Asia. I licked my wounds and Slaved to pay off the loans. The Chinese had better leverage. They took it and all are shamed.
Precise Post recalls that a French court has authorized the seizure of three presidential jets linked to the Federal Government of Nigeria as part of a legal battle involving Zhongshan, a Chinese company.
The company had a business dispute with the Ogun State government, which led to this significant legal action.
The three seized jets include a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus 330 located at Basel-Mulhouse airport in Switzerland.
All three aircraft are part of Nigeria’s presidential air fleet and are currently undergoing maintenance.
Two of the jets were recently put up for sale, while the Airbus 330 was purchased by Nigeria but had not yet been delivered. The Nigerian government reportedly paid over $100 million for the Airbus.
The seizure stems from a 2016 decision by the Ogun State government to revoke Zhongshan’s export processing zone management contract.
Following this revocation, an independent arbitral tribunal, chaired by a former UK Supreme Court President, awarded Zhongshan $74.5 million in compensation.
However, the Ogun State government has yet to honor the award, leading Zhongshan to seek enforcement against Nigerian assets abroad.
The French court’s order prohibits the movement, sale, or purchase of the seized jets until the $74.5 million compensation is paid to Zhongshan.
Bailiffs have already served legal papers for each aircraft, signaling a significant escalation in the ongoing legal dispute.
This development follows a similar incident in which Nigerian-owned properties in Liverpool, England, were seized by a UK court in connection with the same dispute.
Zhongshan secured charging orders against two properties in Liverpool—15 Aigburth Hall Road and Beech Lodge, 49 Calderstones Road—which are estimated to be worth between £1.3 million and £1.7 million.
