By Ononye VC
Professor Patrick Utomi,a renowned economist and Labour Party Chieftain,has accused a former governor of Ogun State Ibikunle Amosun of serial violations of contracts entered with his administration,alleging that apart from others,he was also a victim.
Utomi’s comment was in reaction to Amosun’s admission that he cancelled a deal with Chinese firm Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited.
Amosun claimed that the Chinese firm presented false information during his tenure as Ogun governor.
This is coming after a French court ordered the seizure of three presidential jets belonging to the federal government over a dispute involving an arbitration award in favour of the Chinese firm.
The court ruled that the firm should use the three jets at the Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse international airports “as security for its claim of EUR 74,459,221.”
In a tweet on his official X handle on Sunday, Utomi claimed that like the Chinese company, he also faced a similar fate.
“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 at his achievement’. 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 said he did not see my name on the list. I went to Abeokuta and he called in Yewand Amusan who said mine was a straightforward deal they did not include it. 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 two of us in the car he advised I make a claim for 100 m 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 Bola Ahmed Tinubu then and Baba Akande. There was no result. I also took it to Dapo Abiodun when he took over.A
“Nothing came of it. If this happened to Frieda I wondered what others 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.”
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