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Jets Seizure: FG Accuses Chinese Firm Of ‘Fraudulent’ Attempt To Strip Nigeria’s Assets

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has accused a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, of subterfuge after a French court ruled in favour of the firm and granted the seizure of presidential jets belonging to the Nigerian government.

In a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga alleged that the Chinese firm is trying “to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge”.

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In the dispute involving an arbitration award, the court in Paris ruled in favour of the Chinese firm, allowing it to seize three presidential jets on routine maintenance in France as “security” for claims in a decades-long judicial matter between the foreign company and the Ogun State government.

Free-Trade Zone Row
Back in 2007, the foreign firm signed a contract with the Ogun State government to manage a free-trade zone but the contract was revoked by the state government in 2015.

Displeased, Zhongshan initiated an investment treaty arbitration against Nigeria under the bilateral investment treaty between the People’s Republic of China and Nigeria (the China-Nigeria BIT).

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The arbitrators ruled that Nigeria was in breach of its obligations under the China-Nigeria BIT and awarded Zhongshan compensation amounting to millions of dollars.

READ ALSO: Court Forfeits $2.04m, Properties, Shares Linked To Emefiele

The Nigerian government and the subnational appealed the matter in “eight” jurisdictions including the United Kingdom and the United States.

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The latest jurisdiction is in France, where three Nigerian presidential jets are on routine maintenance.

According to reports, the court in Paris held that the seizure of the jets was to “preserve the claim arising from the arbitration award dated 26 March 2021, made by an ad hoc arbitral tribunal”.

But the Nigerian government said it is “not under any contractual obligation with the company”.

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“The case in which Zhongshan is trying to use every unorthodox means to strip our offshore assets is between the company and the Ogun State Government,” Onanuga said, flaying Zhongshan which he said “has no solid ground to demand restitution from the Ogun State Government based on the facts regarding the 2007 contract between the company and the State Government to manage a free-trade zone”.

“When the contract with Ogun State was revoked in 2015, the company had only erected a perimeter fence on the land earmarked for a free trade zone,” he said.

READ ALSO: GTBank Speaks On Reports Of Website Being Hacked

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Arm-Twisting Tactics?
Onanuga said despite that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has been working with the Ogun State Government on an amicable resolution, “Zhongshan obtained two orders from the Judicial Court of Paris dated March 7, 2024, and August 12, 2024, without any notice being duly served on the Federal Government of Nigeria and Ogun State Government”.

“This arm-twisting tactic by the Chinese company is the latest in a long list of failed moves to attach Nigerian government-owned assets in foreign jurisdictions.

“The material facts in the transaction between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan point to another P&ID case in which unscrupulous and questionable individuals falsely present themselves as investors with the sole objective of undercutting and scamming Governments in Africa.”

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He claimed the foreign company “withheld vital information and misled the Judicial Court in Paris into attaching the Nigerian government’s presidential jets, which are on routine maintenance in France”.

“The use and nature of the Presidential jets as assets of a Sovereign entity whose assets are protected by diplomatic immunity forbid any foreign Court from issuing an order against them.

“We want to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government is working with the Ogun State Government to discharge this frivolous order in Paris immediately.

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“Nigerian Government will always work to protect our national assets from predators and shylocks who masquerade as investors,” he noted.

READ ALSO: Police Arrest Two For Burying Man Alive In Kaduna

Shrinking Presidential Fleet

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The court order came amid a controversy surrounding the planned purchase of a new presidential jet for President Bola Tinubu who has had to use hired jets for official trips in recent times due to faulty presidential jets.

The health state of the Presidential Air Fleet has been source of concern of late.

In May, a faulty presidential jet stopped Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa.

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Last December, a presidential aircraft, Falcon 900B, was put up for sale, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) asking interested persons to submit their bids for the purchase of the aircraft.
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Police Reveal Likely Cause Of Diogo Jota Car Crash

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Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota was likely speeding when his car veered off a motorway in Spain last week killing him and his brother, Spanish police said on Tuesday.

An ongoing investigation is examining “the marks left by one of the vehicle’s wheels… everything points to a possible excessive speed beyond the road’s speed limit”, the Civil Guard said.

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READ ALSO: BREAKING: Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Is Dead

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Hosepipe Ban Announced In Parts Of UK As Drought Hits Harder

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A hosepipe ban has been announced and will begin in parts of the United Kingdom (UK), specifically Yorkshire, from Friday, 11 July, following one of the driest springs the region has seen in over a century.

Yorkshire Water announced the temporary use ban (TUB) on Tuesday, stating that it will restrict the use of hosepipes for watering gardens, washing private vehicles, filling home pools, or cleaning outdoor areas.

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The restrictions will stay in place until there’s “significant rainfall” in the region.

This year, the area recorded just 15cm of rain between February and June—less than half the usual amount. At the same time, demand for water has been higher, and reservoir levels have dropped to 55.8% capacity, which is more than a quarter below the normal level for this time of year.

We need to take action now to help conserve water and protect Yorkshire’s environment. That means from Friday this week, people across Yorkshire will need to stop using their hosepipes to water their gardens, wash their cars or for any other activities.

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READ ALSO: Trump Threatens Extra 10% Tariff On BRICS Nations

“Introducing these restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’ve been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place,” Yorkshire Water’s director of water, Dave Kaye, said.

People can still water gardens or wash cars using a bucket or watering can. Businesses can use hosepipes if it’s part of their regular operations.

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Continuing, Mr Kayen said the restrictions was to make the company has enough water for essential needs amidst higher demand.

These restrictions are intended to make sure that we have enough supply for the essential needs of people across the region this year and next, as well as making sure we’re able to protect our local environment.”

READ ALSO: UK Police Charge Ex-Arsenal Midfielder Thomas Partey With Rape

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“With more dry weather forecast in the coming weeks, it is likely our stocks will continue to fall so we need to act now to maintain clean water supplies and long-term river health.

“Having restrictions in place also allows us to apply for drought permits from the Environment Agency, which means we can abstract more water from our rivers and reduce compensation flows out of our reservoirs so that we can continue to provide the water our customers rely on us for.

“The restrictions will come into effect on 11 July and will be in place until the region has seen significant rainfall to bring reservoirs and groundwater stocks back to where they need to be. This may last into the winter months, but we will lift the usage restrictions as soon as we are able.”

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In a statement, Yorkshire Water said the ban will help the region’s reservoir levels recover and protect Yorkshire’s water resources throughout the summer months, following one of the driest springs on record and the region being in drought.

READ ALSO: UK Police Charge Ex-Arsenal Midfielder Thomas Partey With Rape

“We’ve tried everything possible to avoid these restrictions, and despite our customers’ help to save water where they can and our efforts to manage water resources, including adding an extra 100 people to our leakage team and upgrading our infrastructure to reduce leaks and bursts, the dry weather and warmer-than-usual temperatures have increased demand,” the statement reads.

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The Environment Agency officially declared a drought in Yorkshire on 12 June, after confirming the region had its driest spring in 132 years. It had previously announced drought conditions in northwest England in May.

This news comes ahead of a possible third heatwave expected next week. Temperatures could rise into the low 30s, with warm nights continuing through the period.

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‘You Should Get It’, Netanyahu Nominates Trump For Nobel Peace Prize

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Netanyahu gives Trump letter for Nobel Peace Prize
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, said that he had sent a letter to the Nobel Prize Committee to nominate US President, Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump and Netanyahu met at the White House on Monday to discuss developments in the Middle East.

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“He’s forging peace, as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other.

“So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee; it’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it,” Netanyahu said as he reached over the table to present Trump with his document.

Thank you very much. This I didn’t know. Wow. Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi,” Trump responded.

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READ ALSO ‘Netanyahu Must Go’, Israel’s Ex-PM Calls Leadership ‘Catastrophic’

Trump was expected to press Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Israel’s 21-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza amid an outcry over the humanitarian cost of an offensive that has led to nearly 60,000 deaths, most of them Palestinian.

Israeli and Hamas negotiators met for indirect talks for the first time in six weeks in Qatar on Monday. While both sides have spoken positively about the prospects for a ceasefire, several crucial negotiating points remain, including guarantees from the Israeli side that the war would not continue and Netanyahu’s insistence that Hamas be banished from Gaza for good.

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Before dinner in the Blue Room at the White House, Trump was asked whether he believed that Palestinians should be forcibly removed from Gaza, amid reports that Israel has laid out plans to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah, a plan that has been criticised as a blueprint for ethnic cleansing. Trump directed Netanyahu to answer the question.

READ ALSO: Netanyahu Vows To Thwart ‘Any Attempt’ By Iran To Rebuild Nuclear Programme

It’s called free choice. You know, if people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.

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It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice. We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say they wanted – to give the Palestinians a better future. And … I think we’re getting close to finding several countries,” said Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court for alleged war crimes relating to the Gaza war.

At the beginning of the meeting, Netanyahu presented Trump with a letter that he said he had sent to a committee for the Nobel Peace Prize, commending Trump’s efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East.

It was the second high-profile nomination for the president: last month Pakistan said it would recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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During the meeting, Trump also said that he “hoped” that the US would not strike Iran again.

Trump said, “They want to work something out. They’re very different now than they were two weeks ago.”

READ ALSO::‘He Wants To Keep Killing People,’ Trump ‘Very Unhappy’ After Phone Discussion With Putin On Ukraine

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He declined to give a date for upcoming talks with Iran but told reporters they would find out more details tomorrow.

Sources in the prime minister’s entourage described the talks in Qatar as positive, according to Israel’s military radio station and an Israeli official quoted by Reuters. Palestinian officials were more downbeat and said initial meetings on Sunday had ended inconclusively.

Netanyahu had met with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio earlier on Monday. He is expected to remain in Washington to meet with Vice President JD Vance and senior officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

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