Pat Utomi, a political economist, says his contract was cancelled in Ogun State like the Chinese company’s, recounting his financial ordeal following the cancellation by Ibikunle Amosun, former Ogun State Governor.
Utomi disclosed that he was left to repay millions of naira in loans after Amosun allegedly terminated a contract he had with the Ogun State government.
Utomi’s revelation came in response to a recent statement by Amosun, in which the former governor explained that the cancellation of a contract with a Chinese firm during his tenure has now led to the seizure of Nigerian presidential jets in Europe.
Amosun stated that the contract with Zhongfu International Investment FXE was annulled in 2016 after the Ogun government discovered that the firm had made false claims.
The Chinese company subsequently secured a French court order to seize three Nigerian presidential jets, citing its business dispute with the Ogun government as the basis for the legal action.
Utomi, reacting to Amosun’s admission, shared his own experience on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
“The Chinese were not the only victims. One prominent Ogun indigene allegedly committed suicide with similar Amosun action. I too was a victim,” Utomi said.
He explained that he had entered into a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement under former Governor Gbenga Daniel to lease land from the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Lagos. However, upon assuming office, Amosun halted all such agreements.
Despite meetings with Amosun, who assured Utomi that the issue would be resolved, the situation remained unchanged.
The professor of political economy also sought the intervention of Bola Tinubu, then a political heavyweight but not yet Nigeria’s president, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
“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,” Utomi lamented.
As of the time of this report, neither the Ogun State government nor Amosun has responded to Utomi’s claims.
Utomi’s full statement read, “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 Khama at work. The Chinese were not the only victims. One prominent Ogun indigene allegedly committed suicide with 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 did not see my name on the list. I went to Abeokuta and he called in Yewandw Amusan who said mine was a straight forward 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 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 for100m 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 Frieda I wondered what enemies 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. 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.
