Posted by Ibikunle Amosun, a former governor of Ogun State, has called Zhongfu International Investment FXE, the Chinese company that took control of Nigeria’s presidential jets, an impostor that only intended to de-market China Africa Investment FXE and hide the state-owned assets of Guangdong Province in China.
This was said by Amosun in a statement that Worldoh was able to receive on Saturday.
The former governor revealed that he learned the two Chinese businesses, Messrs. China Africa Investment FXE and Zhongfu International Investment FXE, are claiming management rights over the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone, or OGFTZ, when he took office in 2011.
He said that the business dispute escalated into a bitter one that disrupted normal business operations and jeopardized public safety and peace in the Zone and nearby areas.
Amosun revealed that the Chinese government’s intervention, as evidenced by Diplomatic Note 1601, in 2016 resolved the controversy and made it clear that China Africa Investment FXE was the legitimate investor.
According to Amosun’s statement, “On May 29, 2011, our administration took office. Not long after we assumed government, Messrs. China Africa Investment FXE and Zhongfu International Investment FXE, two distinct groups of Chinese enterprises, asserted their management rights over the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ).
“The Chinese concerns’ business conflict and rivalry quickly escalated into a strong rivalry that disrupted smooth economic operations and jeopardized public safety and tranquility in the Zone and surrounding areas.
Pretending to be a sincere and concerned tenant and zone stakeholder, Zhongfu International Investment FXE provided extremely harmful and destructive information about the joint venturer, the official representatives of Guangdong Province, and the legitimate zone managers, China Africa Investment FXE. After that, they asked to be appointed as interim zone managers.
“On March 15, 2012, Zhongfu International Investment FXE was appointed as Interim Zone Manager pending further evaluation based on the information available to the government at that time.” The entire purpose was to make sure that someone was in charge and, in doing so, stop undesirable and unwholesome development in the Zone while our fact-finding investigation was ongoing.
Later, it was found that Zhongfu International Investment FXE’s accusations and information against China Africa Investment FXE were fabrications.
“Zhongfu International Investment FXE, which the Ogun Government was unaware of at the time, only aimed to de-market China Africa Investment FXE and covertly conceal the State-owned assets of Guangdong Province in China along with the Zone ownership and management rights of their competitor in business.”
Through its Diplomatic Note 1601 dated March 11, 2016, the People’s Republic of China’s government made it clear to the Ogun State Government that China Africa Investment FXE was the legitimate investor.
We complied with the Chinese government’s request after consulting with the appropriate government agencies.
We do remember that Zhongfu International Investment FXE filed legal and business rights petitions with Nigerian courts in various jurisdictions. All four of their legal cases ended in failure.
“We also sought guidance on the best course of action from the State Security Services and the supervising Agency, NEPZA.” Thus, on May 27, 2016, we formally served Zhongfu International Investment FXE with a Termination Notice.
“We must note that Zhongfu International Investment FXE went to court for the sake of completeness of documents.
This business disagreement between Zhongfu and China Africa will be clarified, among other things, by the procedures in Suit No. HCT/417/2016: Zhongfu International Investment FXE Vs. OGFTZ and FCT/ABJ/CS/601/2016: Zhongfu International Investment FXE Vs. NEPZA & Ors.
In a different case, Suit No. AB/04/2017: Zenith Global Merchant International Investment Ltd vs. Zhongfu International Investment FXE, the final judgment was delivered on March 29, 2017, and it expressly prohibited arbitration due to the unique circumstances of the case, which involved a trade dispute between Zhongfu and China Africa, two Chinese entities with little to no connection to Ogun State or the federal government.
Zhongfu International Investment FXE was not pleased with the rulings made by the different courts, so it took its case and sent letters to higher authorities in Abuja, including the National Assembly (both the House of Representatives and the Senate), the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the EFCC, and the Presidency.
“We successfully defended our acts in front of these governmental bodies at all levels, and they all supported our stance. Our administration departed the office in May 2019 shortly after.
He made it clear that his government did not send security guards to beat or intimidate anyone, claiming that any such reports had to be from rivals trying to outdo each other.
But Amosun said he was willing to collaborate with government agencies to make sure Zhongfu International Investment FXE or any other organization doesn’t con Nigeria.