A former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, says a professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, was blacklisted by the Ogun State House of Assembly under his administration because of Utomi’s alleged predilection for shoddy business deals.
Utomi had narrated how he suffered to pay back millions of naira in loans after Amosun allegedly cancelled a contract he (Utomi) had with the State government.
He also alleged that a prominent indigene of Ogun committed suicide over cancellation of a contract under the Amosun administration.
Utomi was reacting to Amosun’s statement on the controversial Arbitration and legal matters between a Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co Lt, and the Federal Government of Nigeria/Ogun State Government on the termination of the contract at the Ogun/Guangdong Free Trade Zone.
- Aside Chinese firm deal, contractor committed suicide after Amosun terminated agreement –Pat Utomi
- Seized jets: My role in Ogun, Chinese firm deal – Ex-Gov Amosun
The contract was initiated when Gbenga Daniel was the Governor of the State in 2007, but terminated under Amosun’s watch in 2016.
Amosun on Saturday explained that he cancelled the contract with the Chinese firm in 2016 after the Ogun government discovered that the firm’s claims were false.
The former governor fired back at Utomi in a statement he personally signed on Sunday, saying Utomi “is still sulking because I refused to feed his entitlement mentality.”
Amosun, while responding to Utomi’s post on X, also hinted that “the Ogun State House of Assembly had already declared Utomi persona non grata and described him as an enemy of state as a result of his predilection for shoddy business deals in the state.”
Amosun said, “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.
“So, I was curious when I became governor and called Utomi to ask what the issue was. This was entirely at my discretion and not because he reached out to me. But I reckoned that as one with some degree of name-recognition, that should not be, and I wanted to know what happened.
“He, however, told me, amongst other things, that there was an ongoing construction in an Ogun State property that had become controversial.
“I immediately raised a team for verification and to know what to do. The team I sent said the land was inappropriate because the said construction was being done in the car park of the Ogun property on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Road in Lagos State. My team then suggested somewhere else.
“Utomi knows his case did not even have any legs to stand on and he is not different from Zhongfu International Investment FXE.”
The former governor, however, contended that, for “Nigeria to become a better country, one law must be applied to every Nigerian, irrespective of your status, religion, or tribe,” insisting that “if Nigerians truly want a great nation, they should hold their leaders accountable for every action.”
“But, if Nigerians allow people to hoodwink them with misinformation, mischaracterisation, and dubious tales by moonlight, it will be unfortunate.
“Nobody can talk me down in order to look good. I served Ogun State passionately with all my strengths, and I did with my shoulders high. I stand by every decision I took, whether or not people like Pat Utomi were in agreement with me,” he added.
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