Connect with us

Metro

For breach of immigration law group urges FG to prosecute Seplat

Published

on

Share this story

A human rights and good governance advocacy group under the aegis of Make A Difference Initiative has applauded the Ministry of Interior for the bold step in investigating allegations of racism, favouritism of foreign workers against Nigerian employees levelled against the CEO of Seplat Energy PLC, Roger Brown, by employees of the company.

The group is also demanding a definite prosecution of Mr. Brown and even the Board of Seplat Energy Plc for connivance and conspiracy to flout the country’s immigration laws.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the Executive Director of MAD, Lemmy Ughegbe also commended the FG for revoking the Work Permit, Visa, and Residence Permit of Seplat Energy’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Brown on account of the breach of the nation’s immigration law.

The Ministry of Interior had written the management of Seplat Energy and its CEO, Mr. Brown of the outcome of its investigation over the allegations brought against the latter, which he refused to appear before it to defend despite several invitations.

“Investigation and records in the Ministry also revealed that Mr. Roger Brown was in possession of CERPAC that was not based on validly issued Expatriate Quota approved by the Ministry of Interior resulting to the violation of relevant Immigration Laws and Regulations.
“As a result of these, the Honourable Minister has determined that Mr. Brown’s continued stay in Nigeria is contrary to national interest”, the ministry of interior stated in the said letter.

“This is one move that will help to restore the dignity of Nigerians in their own land and sound as a warning note to expatriate workers and firms who discriminate against Nigerians and treat them like slaves in their fatherland”, Ughegbe.

MAD also applauded the interim order of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which barred Mr. Roger Brown from parading himself as, or continuing to operate as the CEO of Seplat or working for Seplat in any other capacity pending the determination of the suit brought against him by shareholders of Seplat over the indictment for racism by the Federal Government.

“It is also right that the court also restrained the Chairman, Board of Directors, Seplat Energy, Mr. Basil Omiyi, and all the Non-Executive Directors under him from continuing to run the affairs of the company in an illegal, unfair, prejudicial, and oppressive manner pending the hearing and determination of the Petitioner’s Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction.

“Our organisation condemns in totality the corporate lies told by Seplat at paragraph two of its statement dated 9th March 2023, where it claimed that the allegations and petitions by the aggrieved Nigerian staff at Seplat Energy “have not been brought to the attention of Mr. Roger Brown or Seplat Energy for a reaction”.

The Ministry of Interior stated in their letter conveying the sanctions against Mr. Brown that he was invited to the investigative panel twice and that he snubbed the Federal Government of Nigeria twice. According to the Ministry, “Mr. Roger T. Brown declined to attend despite two invitations, claiming to be unavailable even though we learnt he was in Abuja for other purposes at the time”.

“We are equally in possession of letters dated 9th February and 15th February inviting Brown to the investigative hearing. But he ignored both out of disdain for the Nigeria and Nigerian government. We wonder if a Nigerian citizen or corporate entity would dare such impunity and disdainful treatment of UK government and people on UK soil”, Ughegbe stated.

“We must put an end to foreigners treating Nigerians as second class citizens, at best, or as slaves at worst. Many foreign nationals running businesses in Nigeria treat citizens with utmost disregard and put them through dehumanizing conditions. We must bring this to an end”, Ughegbe added. c

“We frown at the obvious dereliction of duty, complicity and irresponsibility of Seplat Board led by Mr. Basil Omiyi, a Nigerian national, in quickly taking sides with the oppressors of our people on their own land”, he added

“It is failure of leadership and complicity on the part of Omiyi-led Board that Mr. Brown freely perpetrated such racist and discriminatory practices in Seplat without any preemptive measures or sanctions by the Board Chairman and the Non-executive Directors whose responsibility it is to ensure that Seplat is run in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Good Governance Codes for which the company was known until recently”, he added.

He said “it is even a greater display of irresponsibility that the Omiyi-led Board failed to employ internal mechanisms to interface with the employees to resolve the matter before they were left with no choice than to seek the intervention of the Ministry of Interior.

“It a crying shame and lack of patriotism on the part of Board to quickly come to the defence of Roger Brown with a vote of confidence while also describing the allegations as “spurious” even without any form of investigation on its part. It hurts that a Board of Directors headed by a Nigerian would so slavishly and irrationally throw the citizens of Nigeria under the bus in their own country”, he added.

MAD is aware that Seplat is a strategic asset to Nigeria, as it supplies the gas used in generating nearly 40% of the power utlised in Nigeria, hence anything that affects the discharge of such service amounts, in our estimation, an organised economic sabotage.

We therefore make the following demands:

  1. MADI calls on Seplat’s CEO, Roger Brown; the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Basil Omiyi; and the Non-Executive Directors under him, to honourably resign and immediately or be sacked by the Board.

“Seplat must be rescued from the hands of those minded to run the affairs of the company in an illegal, unfair, prejudicial, and oppressive manner and without regards to good governance”, he added.

MAD calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately prosecute Mr. Brown and Seplat for flagrant breach of the relevant Immigration Laws and Regulations.

The 8th March statement by Seplat’s Chairman to the effect that the Board passed a vote of confidence in Brown and that he “continues to discharge his duties and responsibilities as CEO from the Seplat UK office” is an affront to the clear decision of the FG that “Mr. Brown’s continued stay in Nigeria is contrary to national interest” and also to the consequent revocation of his immigration documents.

Section 58 Immigration Act 2015 provides, “It is an offence for any employer of persons liable to repatriation to discharge any such persons without giving notice to the Comptroller-General of Immigration, or for any such employed person to be redesigned, or change his employment, without the approval of the Comptroller-General of Immigration….”

Section 105 (1) provides, “Where an offence under this Act or any other relevant law committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed on the instigation or with the connivance of or is attributable to any neglect on the part of a director, manager, Secretary of the body corporate, or any person purporting to act in any such capacity, the officer or person is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of three years or to a fine of Two Million Naira or both.

Section 105 (2) provides, “Where a body corporate is convicted of an offence under this Act, it is liable to a fine of five million naira and a court may issue an order to wind up the body”.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Metro

‘Listing Simon Ekpa among wanted persons by Nigeria military is rascality, intimidation’

Share this story

9

Published

on

By

Share this story

The recent listing of the Biafra Prime Minister Simon Ekpas’ name among wanted individuals by the Nigerian government and military has been condemned by The Biafra Republic Government in Exile.

Chief of staff to chief Ekpa, Dr. Ngozi Orabueze in a statement said the declaration is an indication of the highest form of rascality,  irresponsibility and intimidation that can not be found in a true democracy

She said the Nigeria government and military were looking for a foithold to suppress the basic and inalienable rights of the Biafra people to chose their leader and discuss who they are as a people hence they came up with the declaration
“Prime Minister His Excellency Simon Ekpa is a Self Determination Leader who can never be a wanted individual. 

Dr. Orabueze indicated that the declaration by the Director, Defence Media Operation Maj. Gen. Edward Buba is a show of the highest form of rascality,  irresponsibility and intimidation. 
“It is also a ploy by the Nigeria government and military to suppress the basic and inalienable rights of the Biafra people to chose their leader and discuss who they are as a people.” 
The chief of staff in the statement called for the immediate withdrawal of the Biafra Government the Nigeria government.

She also demanded an apology from Major General Buba to the Biafra people whose rights and image  has been trampled upon with such fallacy and publication. 
In her statement, Dr Orabueze explained that the continuous use of intimidation, suppression, killings and disrespect for the right of over 70 million Biafrans scattered all over the world and inside Nigeria can no longer go without a measurable action.

“The call for Self Determination, Self Referendum and Redeclaration  of Biafra as a Sovereign state is a task geared towards the security of lives and property of indigenous Nigerians in Biafra territory, and must be achieved for peace and reduction in terrorism in that part of the world. 
“The 40 United States of Biafra currently under the leadership of Biafra Republic government in Exile headed by Prime Minister Simon Ekpa is the wish of Biafra people. Such wish must be respected. 
“The inclusion of the distinguished Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic government in Exile’s name Simon Ekpa among the list of wanted individuals in Nigeria is the same thing Nigeria government and military did to the current Biafra leader leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is currently being held in Nigeria DSS detention center despite repeated legal rulings to free him.
“The United Nations has also called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu but the Nigeria military and government has refused.
“Nigeria is currently in a military rule disguised with President Tinubu as a civilian stooge. 
“With this publication, the Nigeria military and  government has once again proven to the world that it is a government that uses its power militarily to intimidate, suppress, kill and maim innocent citizens. “Thousands of innocent Nigerians have been killed this year alone by government sponsored terrorists. 
“The Nigeria military and government runs a  policy to reintegrate and rehabilitate known terrorists. This  policy has cause more deaths to indigenous Nigeria citizens compared to Boko Haram.
“Last Christmas, over 300 indigenous citizens were murdered same day by government sponsored and reintegrated terrorists. 
“The only crime of Simon Ekpa is to speak against these killings and encourage Biafrans to defend themselves against invading terrorists.”

She described the Nigeria government and military romance/sympathy with terrorist leaders such as Hamas that recently visited Nigeria and welcomed in over 3 news media controlled by the Nigeria government as a grave concern.
“Such action validates the connivance of the current Nigeria  government and military with terrorists.”
Dr. Orabueze therefore called on the Nigeria government to not only withdraw the Biafra Prime Ministers name from their purported wanted list but to respect the wishes of the Biafra people and peacefully start discussion towards the exit of Biafra from Nigeria
The Chief of staff noted that she will be open for such discussion any day

Continue Reading

Metro

Youth leader on marathon trek for Jarigbe arrives Abuja after 5 days

Published

on

By

Share this story

A prominent youth leader in Cross River North Senatorial District Aruku Richard Monkom had made 474.9km long trek from Obudu to Abuja in honour of Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe

The young man who arrived Abuja on Saturday morning had flagged off his marathon walk at Federal Goverent College Obudu on March 19.
He arrived Abuja at about 11.45 am on Saturday to a warm welcomed by Distinguished Jarigbe and other supporters.

He said, “I trekked day and night and thank God I was able to make it here after, and embarked on the long walk as my only way to appreciate the quality representation our Distinguished Senator has given the Cross River North in the Senate.
“But did vidoe of myself in every popular locations on my way down here starting from the Federal Government College Obudu, down to Makurdi, Akwanga, keffi, mararaba and finally Abuja.”
Richard who is the coordinator of PDP youth movement in Cross River told journalist that he was in Abuja to present award to Senator Jarigbe and to encourage him to continue with his good work for the zone.
According to him, “I have only met Distinguidhed Senator once and this is my first time of coming closer to him and embarking on the long walk was the only way I felt I could honour him for standing with our people.

According to him, the lawmaker has become a model for everyone in the society due to his standout legislative performance which is basically on Human Capital and Infrastructural Development in the zone
Speaking when he received the youth man and other youths in his official home Sen Jarigbe thanked Mr Richard for his amazing show of solidarity . Senator Jarigbe who is the chairman Senate Committee on Gas said the action of Mr Richard will rather spur into more work fir his people .

Continue Reading

Metro

Tension persists in Warri, as thugs attack sympathisers of Chief Emami

Published

on

By

Share this story

Barely two weeks after residents of Okere Community in Warri South local government area of Delta state suffered sporadic gun shots from unidentified military men, tension has again gripped the community again as thugs attacked innocent indigenes who were just returning to the city after the last ugly incidents.
Findings revealed that those targeted in the attacks were loyalists of the prominent Warri businessman and philanthropist, Chief Ayiri Emami.
Chief Emami had recently while offering prayer at the community shrine sought divine intervention on the stool of Warri, a supplication which courted the anger of the incumbent Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III.
The victims of Thursday attacks included David Iwere and Philip Awani, among others. They had earlier been granted bail from Police custody among other innocent victims of March 2 attack before they were physically assaulted again.

Narrating his experience in a chat with newsmen, Mr. David Iwere, claimed that the reason for the persistent assaults on him and others was their support for Chief Ayiri Emami, over his insistence on the edict as regards succession to the throne of Olu of Warri and the preservation of Itsekiri custom and tradition, “which the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, is bent on desecrating with oily substance as displayed in Okere Community Ogwa ( town hall) on Saturday March 2 this year and similar exercise earlier at Ogbowuru hall in Ode – Itsekiri and Ugborodo.”
“We will not succumb to the continued attacks, the Inspector – General of Police, should take note of the lawless and destruction being carried out by thugs acting on the behest of the Olu of Warri.”
Further checks revealed that the police in Delta State have reportedly invited those fingered as threats to the peace of the Okere community.

In the letter signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Abubakar, Warri Area Command headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force, Warri, Delta state aides of Olu of Warri was allegedly listed among those constituting threats to peace.

Continue Reading

Trending