Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s leadership following the seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets in France and Switzerland by a Chinese company.
Obi described the incident as “yet another of many embarrassing things exposing our failed leadership and our attitude to the rule of law even in a democracy.”
The controversy stems from a legal battle involving Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd, a Chinese firm that had been granted a contract in 2007 by the Ogun State Government to manage a free trade zone. However, the contract was revoked in 2015, leading Zhongshan to seek arbitration, which ultimately resulted in a $60 million award against the Nigerian government, a co-defendant in the case. Recently, a French court granted Zhongshan the authority to seize three Nigerian jets in a bid to enforce the arbitration award.
Obi did not hold back in his criticism, highlighting the broader implications of the incident. He noted that the seizure “has also exposed multiple dimensions to our leadership failure and our insensitivity to the plight of the growing poor class in our midst.”
Obi questioned the federal government’s priorities, particularly in the context of the ongoing economic struggles faced by many Nigerians.
“The fact that the federal government went ahead with the jet deal despite the cacophonous cry against the purchase of a Presidential jet at this time when the people are going through a horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of this administration,” he argued.
He further criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the jets, stating, “Until a court in France prohibits Nigeria from moving or selling these three jets, Nigerians have no iota of information about both the buying and selling of these aircraft.”
Obi accused the federal government of managing public assets as if they were “a personal family asset,” lamenting the exorbitant expenditure on presidential jets while the country grapples with severe poverty, high inflation, and a growing number of out-of-school children.
“Paying as much as $100 million dollars for a Presidential jet for a country that is the poverty capital of the World and has more out-of-school children with over 40% food inflation is the height of concern for the people’s feelings,” he said.
He also pointed to what he sees as a systemic disregard for the rule of law in Nigeria, stating, “This incident has also opened up an aspect of indiscipline that is copiously embedded in our country which is the abuse and disrespect for the rule of law.”
Obi raised several critical questions about the handling of the situation by both the Ogun State and Federal governments, asking, “To what extent did the Ogun government follow its agreement with the Chinese firm? After the UK court ruling that prohibited some Nigeria building in Liverpool, what did both the Ogun state and Federal government do before the French court action?”
In closing, Obi challenged the federal government to be more transparent about the situation, urging them to “come clean and transparent on this matter and tell Nigerians how we got to this latest international mess.”