Former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has accused political economist Pat Utomi of attempting to extort N200 million from him through a fraudulent leadership award.
Amosun claimed the award was a tactic by Utomi to recoup alleged losses during his tenure.
The allegations arose after Utomi made critical remarks about Amosun on X (formerly Twitter), accusing him of maliciously violating a contract signed by his predecessor, Gbenga Daniel, with a Chinese investment group in 2007.
Amosun countered by stating that Utomi’s claims stem from an “entitlement mentality” and compared Utomi’s N200 million demand to a similar claim by the investment group, Zhongfu International Investment FXE.
Amosun explained that when he assumed office in 2011, he discovered that the Ogun State House of Assembly had blacklisted Utomi and declared him a “persona non grata.”
Curious about the matter, the former governor said he reached out to Utomi to understand the situation.
“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,” Amosun explained.
He stated that Utomi told him about an ongoing construction project on Ogun State property that had become controversial.
A verification team sent by Amosun found the construction site unsuitable and suggested an alternative location, which Utomi rejected due to visibility concerns.
Amosun further revealed that after assessing the situation, his team estimated the construction cost at around N35 million to N50 million.
Despite this, Utomi demanded a N200 million refund. Amosun agreed to a refund of N100 million but refused to meet Utomi’s higher demand.
In an effort to sway Amosun, Utomi allegedly organized an award through his Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL) but failed to change Amosun’s stance.
“He pressured me ceaselessly to pay him N200 million, but I did not yield,” he said.
Amosun accused Utomi of complaining to others to malign him, labeling Utomi’s behavior as one driven by “entitlement mentality.” He also challenged anyone to visit the construction site and assess the claimed N200 million investment.
“Nobody can talk me down in order to look good. I served Ogun State passionately with all my strength, 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,” Amosun concluded.
