By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Chinese company, which secured a court order in Paris, France, to seize three presidential jets belonging to Nigeria, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Limited, says it will release one of the aircraft to enable President Bola Tinubu to use it for his scheduled trip to the French country next week.
A spokesperson of the firm said it was aware that Mr Tinubu would be in France next week for a meeting with the French President, Mr Emmanuel Macron, and would need a plane to fly to Paris.
Recall that it was reported yesterday that Zhongshan got an authorisation to confiscate three Nigerian presidential jets until it receives $74.5 million awarded to it against Nigeria because of a contract it had with the Ogun State government, which was terminated.
“Zhongshan has consistently sought to act reasonably and fairly in the course of a legal dispute with Nigeria which was not of its making,” the official told this newspaper Friday afternoon.
“It (Zhongshan) 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.
“Zhongshan remains committed to talks with representatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria, this time serious and substantive on both sides, with a view to reaching a reasonable compromise settlement rapidly,” the organisation said.
Adedapo Adesanya