![\"\"](\"https:\/\/panoramanews.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/download-10-1-300x161.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Utomi<\/p>\n
By Publisher<\/p>\n
Kindly Share:<\/p>\n
The contractual disagreement between the Ogun State Government and Zhongfu, a Chinese firm, which led to the seizure of Nigeria\u2019 presidential jets by court order in France may not be the last of such business feuds.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n He said Amosu pushed him into debt after cancelling a contractual agreement he had with the previous administration.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo it was Gov Amosun\u2019s 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,\u201d the political economist wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAmosun 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Utomi By Publisher Kindly Share: The contractual disagreement between the Ogun State Government and Zhongfu, a Chinese firm, which led…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[513],"class_list":["post-1749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-economy","category-news","tag-prof-pat-utomi"],"yoast_head":"\n