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Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has described as an international embarrassment, the seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets by a French court following a petition by Zhongshan, a Chinese company to whom the Ogun State government is indepted.
“The trending international news on the seizure of three Jets belonging to Nigeria’s Presidential fleet is yet another of many embarrassing things exposing our failed leadership and our attitude to the rule of law even in a democracy. It has also exposed multiple dimensions to our leadership failure and our insensitivity to the plight of the growing poor class in our midst,” Obi said in a statement on X on Thursday.
The former Anambra State governor berated the federal government for going ahead to buy a new Presidential Jet – which was also grounded by the court – despite opposition from Nigerians in view of the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
He said, “The fact that the federal government went ahead with the jet deal despite the cacophonous cry against the purchase of a Presidential jet at this time when the people are going through a horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of this administration.
“Added to it is the embarrassing aspect of our country’s Presidential jets being held for contractual breaches arising from yet another dimension of inadequate leadership tidiness. I have been loud in my demand over time that the government at all levels should be accountable to the people, meaning that they must be very transparent in all their dealings. Until a court in France prohibits Nigeria from moving or selling these three jets, Nigerians have no iota of information about both the buying and selling of these aircraft.
“It has been done in secrecy. Federal Government property, which belongs to the people, is being managed as a personal family asset.
“Paying as much as $100m dollars for a Presidential jet for a country that is the poverty capital of the World and has more out-of-school children with over 40% food inflation is the height of concern for the people’s feelings. This incident has also opened up an aspect of indiscipline that is copiously embedded in our country which is the abuse and disrespect for the rule of law.
“Here are questions begging for answers:
To what extent did the Ogun government follow its agreement with the Chinese firm?
After the UK court ruling that prohibited some Nigeria building in Liverpool, what did both Ogun state and Federal government do before the French court action ?
I would like to, therefore, challenge the federal government to come clean and transparent on this matter and tell Nigerians how we got to this latest international mess.”
Zhongshan, a Chinese company, had secured the seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets after filing a petition at a court in France.
The company’s export processing zone management contract was terminated by the Ogun State government in 2016, prompting it to take legal action.
The seized jets, which are part of Nigeria’s presidential air fleet, are a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget airport in Paris, a Boeing 737 and an undelivered Airbus 330 at Basel-Mulhouse airport in Switzerland, which was purchased by Nigeria but not yet received.
The seizure, it was gathered, is a result of the contractual dispute between Zhongshan and the Ogun State government.
A French court authorized the seizure of the three presidential jets due to the ongoing dispute between Zhongshan, a Chinese company, and the Ogun State government.
The seizure is a result of the government’s failure to honour a $74.5 million award granted to Zhongshan by an independent arbitral tribunal, chaired by the former President of the UK Supreme Court.
Despite the federal government’s efforts to resolve the issue amicably, the Ogun State government has yet to comply with the award.
The court order restricts the movement, sale, or purchase of the jets until Zhongshan receives the awarded amount, leaving the Nigerian government facing consequences for the actions of its subnational entity.
Bailiffs have already served papers for each aircraft, and the Nigerian government has yet to comment on the situation.
This confiscation follows the recent seizure of Nigerian-owned properties in Liverpool, England, by a UK court in connection with the same dispute.
Zhongshan secured charging orders against properties at 15 Aigburth Hall Road and Beech Lodge, 49 Calderstones Road, Liverpool, valued between £1.3 and £1.7 million.
The conflict dates back to 2010 when Zhuhai Zhongfu Industrial Group Co Ltd, Zhongshan’s parent company, and the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ) entered an agreement to establish Fucheng Industrial Park within the zone.
Zhongfu International Investment (NIG) FZE, a subsidiary of Zhongshan, was registered as a free trade zone enterprise within the OGFZ in 2011.
However, in 2016, the Ogun State Government moved to terminate Zhongfu’s appointment as interim manager of the zone, leading to the current legal battle.
Zhongfu initiated investment treaty arbitration against Nigeria under the bilateral investment treaty between China and Nigeria.
On March 26, 2021, the tribunal issued a final award of $55.7 million, plus interest and costs, payable by Nigeria to Zhongshan. Despite federal government efforts to resolve the dispute, no settlement has been reached.