A former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has clarified the circumstances surrounding the termination of the management rights of Zhongfu International Investment FXE over the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ) on May 27, 2016, and the recent seizure of Nigeria’s presidential jets in Paris, saying that the dispute is between two Chinese companies.
This is just as Amosun’s predecessor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, has expressed his readiness to provide relevant documents that would assist the Nigerian government in the dispute.
The presidential jets, which were undergoing routine maintenance, were seized following ex parte orders issued by a court in Paris, France.
The seizure came after litigations were initiated by the Chinese company against the federal government and the Ogun State Government due to the termination of the contractual agreement.
An arbitral tribunal subsequently awarded Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co Limited about $74.5million in compensation, but the state government did not honour the ruling.
Following the arbitration judgment in favour of Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co Limited, the court ruled that the judgment creditor could attach any of Nigeria’s assets abroad in payment of the judgment debt.
Consequently, Zhongfu seized three presidential aircraft that were in Paris for maintenance but later released one of the aircraft, an Airbus A380, recently acquired to replace former Air Force One.
In a statement issued yesterday, Amosun, who was the governor of the state from 2011 to 2019, said his administration terminated the management rights of Zhongfu based on the request of the Chinese Government and advice from the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA).
Amosun, who described Zhongfu as an imposter, disclosed that the agreement that was entered into at the inception of the OGFTZ in 2007 with his predecessor is still in operation, adding that there was no need for any negotiation or re-negotiation of any contract when he assumed office on May 29, 2011.
