Two former governors of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and Gbenga Daniel, have vowed to support Federal Government’s efforts to recover the national assets seized by a French court.
A Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Limited, had got judgment from the court, which led to the seizure of three presidential jets– a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737 and an Airbus 330.
In 2007, the Ogun State Government entered into a joint venture agreement with Zhongshan and another company to create the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone Company.
But in the first half of 2016, the agreement between the parties broke down, leading to Zhongshan filing lawsuits in Nigerian federal and state courts to seek reinstatement of its contractual rights, which failed.
However, after taking the case before the French court, the company was awarded damages.
The court prohibited Nigeria from moving or selling three presidential jets until the Chinese firm was paid the $74.5m awarded by the court.
The former governors, in separate statements on Saturday, described Zhongshan as a scammer, adding that there was no basis for the company’s claims to compensation.
Amosun insisted that Nigeria should not give Zhongfu (also called Zhongshan) any listening ear, as doing so would amount to encouraging “an unlawful entity without locus standi to appropriate our common patrimony.”
He noted that a final judgement delivered on March 29, 2017 indicated the matter was a trade dispute between two Chinese entities without connection with either Ogun State or the Federal Government.
Daniel said he was ready to provide documents that would help the Federal Government pursue the case against the Chinese firm.
The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District also promised to help President Bola Tinubu to find “a diplomatic resolution to the national embarrassment.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has warned the 36 state governments against entering foreign or international negotiations without the input of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, stated this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja amid the contractual dispute between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan.
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