August 19, (THEWILL) – Politician and Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, has accused former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, of revoking an OPIC agreement under what he described as questionable circumstances.
Utomi made the allegations on Sunday, in response to recent comments by Amosun regarding a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd., seeking to enforce an arbitral award of $74.5 million granted in its favour in 2021 against the Ogun State Government.
Earlier, THEWILL reported ex parte orders issued by the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7 and August 12, 2024, that authorised the seizure of three presidential jets undergoing routine maintenance in France and Switzerland – a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737 and a newly acquired Airbus A330 valued at over $100 million.
Amosun, who was the governor of Ogun State between 2011 and 2019, had on Saturday, described Zhongshan as an impostor, accusing the company of trying to arm-twist Nigeria.
However, in a series of posts on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday, Utomi recounted his ordeal: “So it was Governor 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 controversy between Utomi and Amosun stems from a lease agreement Utomi entered into with the Ogun State Property Investment Corporation (OPIC) during the administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel.
According to Utomi, Amosun, upon assuming office, voided the agreement, which led to financial losses and the eventual withdrawal of his South African business partners.
Utomi also claimed that he had sought the intervention of high-profile political figures, including President Bola Tinubu and former APC leader, Bisi Akande, but his pleas went unanswered.
“I took the case to APC leaders, Bola Tinubu and Baba Akande. No result. I took it to Dapo Abiodun when he took over. Nothing came of it,” Utomi lamented.
Reacting to the allegations, Amosun accused Utomi of having an “entitlement mentality” and attempting to manipulate the situation for personal gain.
The former governor said Utomi had been blacklisted by the Ogun State House of Assembly before his tenure, and any consideration given to Utomi’s claims was purely at his (Amosun’s) discretion.
He explained that after investigating the matter, his team concluded that the construction work undertaken by Utomi on the leased land was not worth more than N50 million. Despite this, Amosun said he offered a refund of N100 million, which Utomi allegedly rejected, demanding N200 million instead.
In his statement, Amosun said, “Before I came into office, the Ogun State House of Assembly had passed a personal non grata on Utomi and put its resolution in the state’s black book.
“So, I was curious when I became governor and called Utomi to ask about the issue. This was entirely at my discretion and not because he contacted me. But I reckoned that as one with some degree of name recognition, that should not be, and I wanted to know what happened.
“He, however, told me, amongst other things, that an ongoing construction in an Ogun State property had become controversial.
“I immediately raised a team to verify and know what to do. The team I sent said the land was inappropriate because the construction was being done in the car park of the Ogun property on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Road in Lagos State. My team then suggested somewhere else.
“But he didn’t want another place because, according to him, the place in question gave more visibility. After our in-house assessment, my team concluded he could not have spent more than N35m or N50m on the construction. At that point, I decided to visit myself.
“In addition, it was discovered that the so-called work done was hurriedly executed in the wake of the realisation that another political party had won the governorship election and would take over the reins of leadership in the state.
“It was also apparent that what was being attempted was a move at ambushing the state government under my watch and presenting us with a Fait Accompli, a situation that would have generated a controversy about the demolition of an ongoing project.
“Just so that his investment in the state would not go to waste, I committed to refunding N100 million as against his claim of N200 million. He pressured me ceaselessly to pay him N200 million, but I did not yield.
“As part of his determination to sway me, he deployed his Centre for Value in Leadership, CVL, through the instrumentality of an Award. At first, it all looked curious that I’d just been in office for about two years, and here I was being given an award, so I rejected it.
“But he insisted that I honour his CVL SOLUTION CONFERENCE SERIES with my presence, which I did, and I was given a plaque for participating. However, I did not change my position on the refund of N100 million as against his N200 million claim.
“A few years later, he complained to some people intending to accuse me. When I heard this, I called to tell him off because his problem was purely an entitlement mentality. He even boasted, asking me: ‘Do you know who I am?’ Imagine! But I ignored him because I immediately saw through his actual colour. In my book, it’s one law for everyone, no matter who you are.
“I challenge everyone, including journalists, to let us meet at the construction site and see the N200 million investment he claimed to have made there. Let them also ask what benefit the project would have had for Ogun State.
“Nobody can talk me down to look good. I served Ogun State passionately with all my strengths, and I did with my shoulders high. I stand by every decision I take, whether or not people like Pat Utomi agree with me.
“Utomi knows his case did not even have legs to stand on. He is not different from Zhongfu International Investment FXE. He knows he cannot lay claims to any lawful damage done to his investment. All he has tried to do is a ‘me too’, which is disgraceful.”
The former governor, however, contended that for “Nigeria to become a better country, one law must be applied to every Nigerian, irrespective of your status, religion, or tribe.
“If Nigerians truly want a great nation, they should hold their leaders accountable for every action. But if Nigerians allow people to hoodwink them with misinformation, mischaracterisation, and dubious tales by moonlight, it will be unfortunate.”
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
