Why the Seizure of Nigeria’s Presidential Jet Is ‘Africa’s Biggest Embarrassment’

It could be easily dismissed as one of Nigeria’s shortcomings that the presidential jet was grounded by a court order.

The turmoil caused by the failure of leadership in Nigeria and Africa at large has become a recurring issue that some of the gravest mistakes by its leaders are often not queried beyond the social media onslaught and bantering.

On August 12, 2024, the news of the seizure of Nigeria’s presidential jets filtered into the media space. A Chinese company, identified as Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, had obtained a court order that allowed it to seize some of Nigeria’s assets, including, as was widely reported, three presidential jets.

One’s first inclination could be that although the country’s assets were seized, it couldn’t be an essential asset that conveys arguably Africa’s most dignified political positions.

So, those who were expecting a strong refutation from the office of the President, one that would deny the alleged seizure of presidential jets, were, in fact, shocked by Bayo Onanuga’s lengthy statement that affirmed that the African continent had received its biggest 21st-century embarrassment.

“The Presidency is aware of the various failed attempts by a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge,” Onanuga said.

Before going into the intricacies of how this is embarrassing, the burning question on the lips of many Nigerians is how and what went wrong?

How Legal Battle Between Zhongshan Fucheng and Ogun State Led to a Presidential Jet Being Grounded

The seizure of Nigeria’s presidential jets, and hence the global embarrassment it caused, stems from a failed deal between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan Fucheng.

Seventeen years ago, during the administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel, Ogun State entered into a contract agreement with Zhongshan Fucheng to build a free-trade zone.

Zhongshan Fucheng reportedly kicked off about three years later with the construction of the free-trade zone that would add economic value to Ogun State.

However, with the change in government after Ibikunle Amosun was elected as Governor, the deal began to witness setbacks. And in 2016, his administration abruptly terminated Zhongshan Fucheng’s appointment.

What followed was a long, bitter legal battle. In 2021, a court in the UK ruled that Nigeria breached its obligation and awarded $55,675,000 in addition to an interest of $9.4 million and costs of £2,864,445 payable by Nigeria to Zhongshan Fucheng.

Why It’s An Embarrassment

While Onanuga tried to downplay the responsibility of the Federal Government, stating that “the Federal Government is not under any contractual obligation with the company,” it cannot remove itself from the embarrassment the deal has brought to Nigeria.

For a company to be able to obtain a court order that could have potentially hindered the movement of President Bola Tinubu is, to put it mildly, an insult to the African continent.

Could one imagine that a Chinese company could obtain a court order that grounds the movement of President Joe Biden?

Nigerians could choose to take the significance of the aircraft seizure lightly, to wave it off as one of Nigeria’s numerous failures, but it points to a disheartening trend that Nigeria is on a path to an unredeemable destruction.

If the movement of the President of Africa’s most populous nation, who largely makes decisions that affect the lives of over 200 million people, could be hindered by a court order from a company that is not among the world’s most valued, then the failure of African leaders has become glaring on the global scene.

While no deal should become so sour that Nigerian assets should be seized in foreign lands, assets purchased through taxpayers’ money, the seizure of a presidential jet is one that should not be heard of.

But it points to a growing trend where foreign companies entering deals with Nigeria, be it at the federal or state level, do so without according any form of dignity and respect to the Nigerians. The country saw, about seven years ago, how Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID) was awarded $6.6 billion, which was worth $11 billion due to accumulated interest—a sum so vast that it is material to Nigeria’s entire federal budget.

While the P&ID award was later overturned, there appears to be a growing trend where foreign companies are exploiting the leadership failures in Nigeria to make unsuitable demands. As the local proverb goes, it is not their fault, but Nigeria’s, whose leaders decide on a whim to breach contracts and abandon projects inherited from previous administrations.

This leaves an unending list of abandoned projects across the country. In fact, these issues are not peculiar to foreign companies; Nigerians and their investments are also left to rot upon the resumption of a new administration.

Pat Utomi, a former governorship candidate who has served as an adviser to Presidents in Nigeria, recently detailed how a change of administration ruined his business venture and left him with huge debts to pay.

“The Chinese were not the only victims. One prominent Ogun indigene allegedly committed suicide due to similar actions by Amosun. I too was a victim. I had leased OPIC land in Lagos in a BOT agreement under Governor Daniel. Amosun stopped all such agreements upon being sworn in,” Utomi alleged.

With that cancellation came the destruction of a business and the loss of investors.

“I lost my weary South African partners who owned a successful regional chain across Southern Africa and Asia. I licked my wounds and slaved to pay off the loans,” Utomi wrote.