Two past governors of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and Gbenga Daniel, have expressed their commitment to backing the Federal Government’s initiative to reclaim national assets that were seized by a French court.
On Saturday, the former governors issued individual statements labeling Zhongshan a fraud, emphasizing that the company’s assertions for compensation lack any merit.
In a statement he released on Saturday, Amosun emphasized that Nigeria should not heed the opinions of Zhongfu (also known as Zhongshan), as doing so would be tantamount to endorsing “an unlawful entity lacking the standing to claim our shared resources.”
“At different levels, government is a continuum and the various segments of events leading to this unfortunate situation occurred before, during and after our administration.
“Our administration assumed office on May 29, 2011. Very shortly after we took office, two different sets of Chinese companies, Messrs China Africa Investment FXE and Zhongfu International Investment FXE laid claims to management rights over the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone.
“The business dispute and rivalry between the Chinese concerns soon became fierce, grounded seamless business activities and threatened public peace and safety within the zone and neighboring communities.
“There were claims and counter-claims as to who between the two was the lawful representative of the original joint venturer, Guangdong Province, China, and consequentially who had the right to manage the zone.
“Zhongfu International Investment FXE, pretending to be a concerned and genuine tenant and zone stakeholder, volunteered very damaging and destructive information about the official representatives of Guangdong Province, the Joint Venturer and lawful zone managers, China Africa Investment FXE, and subsequently requested to be appointed as interim zone managers,” he said,