- Safiu Kehinde
Chinese Firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, has made a temporary release of one of the seized Nigeria’s Presidential jets.
This was made known in a post on X where it was disclosed that one of the jets was released due to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s scheduled trip to France.
According to the post, a spokesperson to the Chinese firm stated on Friday that one of the jets was made available after it was brought to their attention that President Bola Tinubu required it for a planned meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Zhongshan has consistently sought to act reasonably and fairly in the course of a legal dispute with Nigeria which was not of its making.
“It has now been made aware that an Airbus A330, currently detained in France as a result of a French court order obtained by Zhongshan, is needed for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to travel to a scheduled meeting with President Macron of France early next week.
“As a gesture of goodwill, Zhongshan has lifted the seizure of that aircraft immediately. This will allow it to be used for the President’s trip.” The unidentified spokesperson had reportedly said.
Recall NPO Reports the seizure of the three Presidential fleets under the directive of a French Court.
The cause of the seizure was traced to a contractual breach between the Chinese firm and Ogun state government.
According to reports, Zhongshan had accused the Nigerian government of forcefully terminating a 2007 contract they had.
The agreement to develop a free trade zone was terminated between 2014 and 2016 with Zhongshan claiming they were forced out of the deal through a ‘campaign of illegal acts’.