FG initiates legal steps to reclaim impounded aircraft,as Daniel calls for use of diplomatic channels
The Federal Government is currently addressing the issue concerning impounded federal assets and has identified instances of mismanagement of international affairs by states.
Speaking to State House Correspondents in Malabo, the Capital city of Equatorial Guinea, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, stated that the federal government was already resolving the issue of impounded aircraft.
Tuggar said the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently working with the Attorney-General to address the issue diplomatically and legally.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs added that an update to the dispute would be provided when necessary, he added that negotiations are ongoing to resolve the dispute.
He emphasized the importance of registering such arrangements with the relevant authorities to avoid future complications.
“But again, this is part of the when sub-national actors like state governments take it upon themselves to go into agreements, go into international arrangements, without recourse to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without recourse to the federal government, and then when it goes awry, we are left with the problem to deal with.
“That is why it’s always important that such arrangements should be registered with the mission there, with the embassy, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with the federal government.
“This is something that Ogun State, under a different administration, not this governor, entered into that we’re not aware of. All we know is that they’re going after Nigerian assets.”
Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese firm, had obtained a court order in Paris to confiscate Nigeria’s presidential aircraft undergoing maintenance in France.
Responding to the development, the Nigerian government had announced that it is not bound by any contractual agreement with Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, for the acquisition of offshore assets belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria through deceitful means.
Meanwhile , the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Gbenga Daniel, has urged President Bola Tinubu to explore diplomatic channels to resolve the issues surrounding the Ogun Free Trade Zone (FTZ) deal.
Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese firm, obtained a court injunction to ground three presidential jets belonging to the Federal Government in Europe. The PUNCH reported that the company is also moving to seize other Nigerian assets in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and six other countries.
The firm has initiated legal proceedings in eight jurisdictions worldwide regarding the dispute. These countries include Belgium, Canada, France, Singapore, and the British Virgin Islands, according to documents obtained by our correspondent on Thursday.
The order was granted following a failed contract between the company and the Ogun State Government, initiated in 2007 during Gbenga Daniel’s tenure as the state governor.
Responding to the controversies, the former Ogun governor, through his media office, released a statement on Saturday.
He clarified that neither he nor his administration is involved in the ongoing court and arbitration discussions.
He emphasised that the issue at hand is not the terms or propriety of the agreement for establishing the FTZ, but rather the termination of a management contract.
In 2010, the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone Company entered into a contract with Zhongshan’s parent company to develop an industrial park within the free-trade zone. The agreement was terminated in the first half of 2016, leading Zhongshan to file lawsuits in Nigerian federal and state courts seeking reinstatement of its contractual rights. However, the legal proceedings were discontinued in the spring of 2018.
