BY GODWIN OBI
With the controversial seizure of three presidential jets on routine maintenance in Paris still raising dust, former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has cautioned the Federal Government not to negotiate with Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited.
In a statement on Saturday, the Ogun governor between May 2011 and May 2019, labelled the Chinese firm as an “impostor” and warned the Federal Government not to be scammed.
A French court recently ruled in favour of the firm and granted the seizure of presidential jets belonging to the Nigerian government.
In the dispute involving an arbitration award, the court in Paris ruled in favour of the Chinese firm, allowing it to seize three presidential jets on routine maintenance in France as “security” for claims in a decades-long judicial matter between the foreign company and the Ogun State government.
But the Presidency alleged that the Chinese firm is trying “to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge”. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, later said diplomatic and legal efforts were on to settle the matter amicably.
Amosun said in 2011, two different sets of Chinese companies, Messrs China Africa Investment FXE and Zhongfu International Investment FXE laid claims to Management rights over the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ).
“The business dispute and rivalry between the Chinese concerns soon became fierce, grounded seamless business activities and threatened public peace and safety within the Zone and neighbouring communities.
“There were claims and counterclaims as to who between the two was the lawful representative of the original joint venturer, Guangdong Province, China and consequentially who had the right to manage the Zone.
“Based on the information at the disposal of the government at the time, Zhongfu International Investment FXE was on 15/03/2012 appointed as Interim Zone Manager pending further evaluation.
“It was later discovered that the information and claims volunteered by Zhongfu International Investment FXE against China Africa Investment FXE were tissues of lies.
“Unknown to the Ogun Government at the time, Zhongfu International Investment FXE merely sought to de-market China Africa Investment FXE and to surreptitiously covert the State-owned assets of Guangdong Province in China together with the Zone ownership and management rights of their business rival.
“The Government of the Peoples Republic of China, via its Diplomatic Note 1601 dated 11th March 2016 clarified to Ogun State Government, that China Africa Investment FXE was the rightful investor. After due consultation with the relevant organs of Government, we gave effect to the request of the Chinese Government.
“We do recall, that Zhongfu International Investment FXE approached Nigerian courts in different jurisdictions to ventilate its legal and business rights. They lost all their four cases in court,” Amosun said.
“It is also not true that our administration sent police or any security agent to harass, intimidate, or beat anyone. If there was any such situation, it must have been from among the disputing rivals in the bid to outdo one another. Security agencies can further investigate the allegation and uphold the truth.
“Nigeria should not give Zhongfu International Investment FXE any listening ear as doing so would amount to indulging and, encouraging an unlawful entity without locus standi to appropriate our common patrimony.
“Stemming from the above, this matter of Zhongfu International Investment FXE should be treated the way Nigeria treated the P&ID case. There is no basis for negotiation.
“I am ready to work with the agencies of government in any capacity to ensure that Nigeria is not scammed by Zhongfu International Investment FXE or any other entity.
“Like every Nigerian, we are concerned that a purely business dispute between two Chinese nationals and corporations has now degenerated into an unlawful attempt to appropriate Nigeria’s sovereign assets.
“This is unacceptable to all people of goodwill and must not be allowed to stand,” he said.
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