By Eyo Nsima
The Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Energy Plc, Roger Brown has temporarily handed authority to the Chief Operating Officer, Samson Ezugworie as aggrieved stakeholders alleged racism.
In a statement obtained by The Daily, www.thedaily-ng.com, Basil Omiyi, the board chairman of the company said this was in line with the court judgment.
The court had restrained Brown from carrying out his official duties pending the determination of a suit filed against him and other respondents by aggrieved stakeholders of the company over alleged racism, discrimination against Nigerians, and breach of good governance.
The Company chairman also maintained that, “Seplat Energy Plc reports that on March 9, 2023, it was served with court processes and ex-parte Interim Order of the Hon Justice C. J. Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, Nigeria, restraining the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roger Brown from participating in the running of the Company for a period of 7 days.
“The Board believes these allegations are a spurious and vindictive reaction to the Board’s enforcement of corporate governance standards and a determination to continue to uphold their fiduciary duties and loyalty to the Company. The Board of Seplat Energy has unanimously passed a vote of confidence in Mr Brown as the CEO.
“The interim orders are premised on allegations of unfair, prejudicial, and offensive acts by the Chairman, CEO and all of the Independent Non-Executive Directors (INEDs) of Seplat Energy.
“The allegations include that the CEO organized a site visit for a number of its major shareholders to the Company’s operations, canceled some catering and landscaping contracts, and introduced a new job performance rating.
“Seplat Energy refutes the allegations and notes that since Mr. Brown became CEO in 2020, Nigerian nationals have been appointed to the company’s most important positions, including Chairman, Senior Independent Non[1]Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating officer.
“The Order allows the Chairman, Mr. Basil Omiyi, and all the INEDs of Seplat Energy to continue running the affairs of the Company on the basis that it is in accordance with Nigerian law. Mr. Brown has delegated authority to Mr. Samson Ezugworie, Chief Operating Officer, to act as CEO during the period that he is required to step back from his executive duties.
“The injunction was filed by Messrs. Moses Igbrude, Sarat Kudaisi, Kenneth Nnabike, Ajani Abidoye and Robert Ibekwe, who purports to have shares in Seplat Energy Plc. Seplat will follow the due processes of law in responding to the allegations before the courts. At the same time, the Company will continue to maintain its operational excellence and act in line with the best corporate governance standards.”
