The Ogun State government has issued a formal apology to the Federal Government of Nigeria for the embarrassment caused by the recent seizure of three Nigerian government-owned aircraft in France. This development comes in the wake of a controversial legal battle with a Chinese company over a disputed contract.
On Thursday, the Ogun State Government released a statement criticizing the judicial process that led to the provisional attachment of the aircraft by the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7 and August 2, 2024.
The seizure was sought by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd, a Chinese firm, in relation to an aborted contract initiated in 2007 with the Ogun State Government.
Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, described the situation as “the new antics by the Chinese company to appropriate Nigerian assets in foreign jurisdictions.”
He stated, “The whole legal process is nothing but a total charade with fraudulent notion. The company deliberately concealed the litigation from both the Nigerian government and Ogun State, as well as their legal counsel before hurriedly securing orders of seizure.”
The statement further alleged that Zhongshan may have misled the Parisian court regarding the nature and use of the assets it sought to attach. Akinmade emphasized, “Ogun State, together with the Federal Government, had already taken immediate action to ensure that those provisional attachments are lifted quickly.”
Drawing parallels to the infamous P&ID case, the Ogun State government characterized this as “another unfortunate case of unscrupulous individuals masquerading as foreign investors with the sole aim of defrauding Ogun State and Nigeria at large.”
The statement provided historical context, noting that the disputed contract was executed in 2007, well before the current administration took office. It detailed the progression of the dispute, including arbitration proceedings that resulted in a controversial award of over $60 million against the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2019.
“The present State Administration could not in all good conscience allow such an unconscionable and baseless decision, which would dissipate the commonwealth of the good people of Ogun State, to stand,” Akinmade explained.
The government claims to have successfully resisted enforcement of the award in eight different jurisdictions, with appeals pending in both the US and UK. It also revealed attempts at settlement discussions, including a three-day meeting in London in September 2023, which ultimately broke down.
Expressing regret for any embarrassment caused to the Federal Government and President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Ogun State government reaffirmed its commitment to protecting national assets.
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Akinmade said, “We have taken all necessary legal steps to ensure that this spurious and baseless order is vacated within the shortest possible time. As a sovereign nation, whose assets are protected by laws of sovereign immunity, we vow to resist any attempts at blackmail and theatrics clearly designed to extort and embarrass our dear country.”
The statement emphasized that Ogun State remains open to a reasonable settlement, having sent a recent letter to Zhongshan just last week.
However, it noted that the Chinese company only responded after obtaining the latest court order.
