Top Diplomat Tells Tinubu How to Stop Chinese Firm From Seizing Presidential Jets, Other Assets
Former Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Usman Sarki, has emphasized the importance of diplomatic efforts to resolve the seizure of Nigerian assets abroad by the Chinese firm Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited.
Sarki urged President Bola Tinubu to engage directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping to address the conflict between Nigeria and the Chinese company. “President Bola Tinubu is expected to visit China in September for the China-Africa Summit,” Sarki stated during an appearance on *Inside Sources* with Laolu Akande, a sociopolitical program on Channels Television.
He suggested that a bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping could help resolve the issue amicably. Additionally, Sarki proposed that the two leaders might meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September to discuss the matter further.
In the meantime, Sarki recommended that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, collaborate with the Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to engage with the Chinese ambassador in Nigeria and work towards de-escalating the situation and ending the “embarrassing” asset seizures.
The diplomatic tension stems from a recent ruling by a French court, which favored Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, granting the company the right to seize Nigerian presidential jets undergoing routine maintenance in France. The seizure was part of an arbitration dispute involving a decades-long legal battle between the Chinese firm and the Ogun State government.
The Nigerian Presidency has accused the Chinese company of attempting to “take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge.” Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi has since indicated that both diplomatic and legal measures are being pursued to settle the matter peacefully.
However, reports indicate that more Nigerian assets have been seized by the Chinese firm following the court’s order.
