The former governor of Ogun state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and a renowned economist and public affairs commentator, Professor Pat Utomi, have been trading words over the botched agreement that led a Chinese firm, Zhongfu, to seek the seizure of planes belonging to the Nigerian presidency in France. Professor Utomi accused the former Ogun governor of sabotaging another deal he signed with Amosun’s predecessor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, a move, the professor claimed, cost him about One Hundred Million Naira (₦100,000,000).
In a post on X, Utomi said, “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.”
According to Utomi, this is typical Amosun, as he recounted his own personal experience, when Amosun halted agreements made by his predecessor Gbenga Daniel, including the OPIC lease deal.
“I had leased OPIC (Ogun State Property Investment Corporation) land in Lagos in a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) 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.”
He further explained, “I went to Abeokuta and he called in Yewande Amusan who said mine was a straightforward deal (and) 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.”
Utomi further explained that during a meeting in Abeokuta, Amosun drove him back to Lagos and advised him to make a claim for ₦100 million out of the ₦200 million he had invested, and suggested he make additional claims later.
However, according to Utomi, the matter remained unresolved, leading to extensive legal battles and financial loss.
He said despite his efforts, including appeals to then APC leaders Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, and later Governor Dapo Abiodun, the matter remained unresolved, lamenting, “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.”
However, in response, Amosun issued a rebuttal, defending his actions and challenging Utomi’s claims.
Amosun stated, “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.” He recounted his investigation into Utomi’s claims as he said, “I was curious when I became governor and called Utomi to ask what the issue was. He, however, told me, amongst other things, that there was an ongoing construction in an Ogun State property that had become controversial.”
Mentioning that his team assessed the situation and found discrepancies, he asserted, “My team concluded he could not have spent more than ₦35m or at most, ₦50m on the construction as of then.” He accused Utomi of attempting to entrap his administration, explaining, “It was also obvious that what was being attempted was a move at ambushing the state government under my watch and presenting us with a Fait Accompli.”
Amosun then defended his offer of ₦100 million as a fair settlement, stating, “I committed to making a refund of ₦100 million as against his claim of ₦200 million.”
Amosun also criticised Utomi for allegedly using his Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL) to pressure him through awards, stating, “Utomi deployed his CVL through the instrumentality of an Award…But I did not change my position on the refund of ₦100 million as against his ₦200 million claim.”
However, Utomi in response to Amosun’s reply, challenged the accuracy of his financial assessment and the claim of a persona non grata designation. “Amosun has never called me. MTN can check the records,” Utomi refuted.
He reiterated that his investment was substantial and that Amosun’s actions caused severe financial damage. “When I followed up into the third year of back and forth, he invited me back to Abeokuta…He then said 100m was the maximum OPIC could pay so I should accept 100m and write in with additional claim,” Utomi recounted.
