By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
IN A LATEST development, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese firm, has released one of Nigeria’s presidential jets that had been seized under a court order.
This move follows Zhongshan’s earlier action to confiscate three Nigerian presidential jets, pending the payment of $74.5 million awarded to the company in a legal dispute with Nigeria.
The company’s spokesperson revealed the release on Friday, noting that the decision was made to allow President Bola Tinubu to attend a scheduled meeting with President Macron of France early next week.
“Zhongshan has consistently sought to act reasonably and fairly in this legal dispute with Nigeria, which was not of its making,” the official stated, adding that the release of the Airbus A330 was a gesture of goodwill to facilitate the President’s trip.
Despite this, the Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Ogun State government, is working diligently to overturn what it considers a frivolous court order obtained by Zhongshan in Paris.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, reaffirmed the government’s position, stating, “The FG is not under any contractual obligation with Zhongshan.
The case pertains to a dispute between the company and Ogun State government.”
Onanuga further explained that the contract between Ogun State and Zhongshan, initiated in 2007, was terminated in 2015 after the company failed to meet its obligations, having only erected a perimeter fence around the land designated for a free-trade zone.
Despite the ongoing efforts by the Ogun State Government to resolve the matter amicably, Zhongshan obtained court orders from the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7, 2024, and August 12, 2024, without properly notifying the Nigerian or Ogun State governments.
The Nigerian government believes that Zhongshan has resorted to unorthodox and deceptive methods to strip Nigeria of its offshore assets, likening the case to the infamous P&ID saga.
“Zhongshan misled the Judicial Court of Paris regarding the use and nature of the presidential jets, which are protected by diplomatic immunity,” Onanuga said, emphasizing that the company failed to fully disclose necessary information to the court.
He assured Nigerians that the government is committed to protecting national assets from foreign companies that collaborate with unscrupulous individuals to defraud the country.
“We want to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government, in partnership with the Ogun State Government, will swiftly discharge this frivolous order in Paris.
Moreover, the Nigerian government says it will continue to safeguard our national assets from predatory attempts disguised as investments,” Onanuga concluded.
