Seized Jets: Obi tackles Tinubu, tells him to stop running Nigeria as personal asset
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The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, Mr Peter Obi has berated president Bola Tinubu’s administration over the controversial court ruling in France that led to the seizure of three presidential jets belonging to Nigeria.
Newsband reported that following a legal battle between Ogun state government and Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd, a French court in a landmark judgement, ruled that three presidential jets belonging to Nigerian authorities should be seized, including a newly purchased Airbus, valued at over $100 million.
The seized aircraft include a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus 330 at Basel-Mulhouse Airport in Switzerland.
The legal dispute stems from a 2016 decision by the Ogun state government to revoke Zhongshan’s export processing zone management contract, which resulted to a long legal battle that has now spilled over into international courts.
An arbitral tribunal, headed by a former President of the UK Supreme Court, awarded the Chinese firm $74.5 million in compensation, but the Ogun government has yet to honor this award.
The federal government of Nigeria unfortunately found itself in the cross fire due to actions taken by Ogun state government.
But in a statement on Thursday, Mr Obi described the development as an international embarrassment.
He accused president Tinubu administration of operating in secrecy and running the government like a personal family asset.
The statement reads, “The trending international news on the seizure of three Jets belonging to Nigeria’s Presidential fleet is yet another of many embarrassing things exposing our failed leadership and our attitude to the rule of law even in a democracy. It has also exposed multiple dimensions to our leadership failure and our insensitivity to the plight of the growing poor class in our midst.
“The fact that the federal government went ahead with the jet deal despite the cacophonous cry against the purchase of a Presidential jet at this time when the people are going through a horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of this administration.
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“Added to it is the embarrassing aspect of our country’s Presidential jets being held for contractual breaches arising from yet another dimension of inadequate leadership tidiness.
“I have been loud in my demand over time that the government at all levels should be accountable to the people, meaning that they must be very transparent in all their dealings. Until a court in France prohibits Nigeria from moving or selling these three jets, Nigerians have no iota of information about both the buying and selling of these aircraft.
“It has been done in secrecy. Federal Government property, which belongs to the people, is being managed as a personal family asset. Paying as much as $100m dollars for a Presidential jet for a country that is the poverty capital of the World and has more out-of-school children with over 40% food inflation is the height of concern for the people’s feelings.
“This incident has also opened up an aspect of indiscipline that is copiously embedded in our country which is the abuse and disrespect for the rule of law.
“Here are questions begging for answers:
“To what extent did the Ogun government follow its agreement with the Chinese firm? After the UK court ruling that prohibited some Nigeria building in Liverpool, what did both Ogun state and Federal government do before the French court action?
“I would like to, therefore, challenge the federal government to come clean and transparent on this matter and tell Nigerians how we got to this latest international mess.”
