Utomi
By Publisher
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The contractual disagreement between the Ogun State Government and Zhongfu, a Chinese firm, which led to the seizure of Nigeria’ presidential jets by court order in France may not be the last of such business feuds.
Writing in a post on his X handle on Sunday, Prof Pat Utomi accused the former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun under whom the disputed contract with Zhongfu was cancelled, claimed that he had a similar bitter experience in the hands of the former governor.
He said Amosu pushed him into debt after cancelling a contractual agreement he had with the previous administration.
“So it was Gov Amosun’s violation of contract terms signed by his predecessor that brought the shame of seizure of jets from the Presidential fleet. I hope he is happy with his achievement,” the political economist wrote.
“The whole matter is Karma at work. The Chinese were not the only victims. One prominent Ogun indigene allegedly committed suicide with a similar Amosun action. I too was a victim. I had leased OPIC land in Lagos in a BOT agreement under Gov Daniel.
“Amosun stopped all such on being sworn in. I called him. He said he did not see my name on the list. I went to Abeokuta and he called in Yewande Amusan who said mine was a straightforward deal they did not include.
“He asked that all be included but mine be quickly sorted. That began a rigmarole that went on for years. I made another trip to Abeokuta. He drove me back to Lagos at the wheels with my driver trailing along with the escorts and sirens.
“He had earlier asked that I make a request for a refund of what I paid even though my South African partners and I had invested 200m in addition to the lease amount at the time. With just the two of us in the car he advised me to make a claim for 100m and write for additional payments the day after I cash the cheque. It was surreal but if I got nothing more it would be better than being in court until we both retire. I took the case to APC leader BAT and Baba Akande. No result. Took it to Dapo Abiodun when he took over. Nothing came of it. If this happened to a friend I wondered what enemies were going through.
“I lost my weary SA partners who owned a successful regional chain across Southern Africa and Asia. I licked my wounds and Slaved to pay off the loans. The Chinese had better leverage.
“They took it and all are shamed. My new book Power Policy Politics and Performance documents a similar case study in Enugu involving SA investors as the gubernatorial batons changed hands. When shall we learn? Values shape human progress.”
