Factions emerge as ERA/FoEN leadership crisis deepens

The leadership tussle rocking the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), has taken a different dimension as a faction of the organisation urged Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Nnimmo Bassey, to abide by the General Assembly’s resolutions, which purportedly removed him as Trustee and BoT Chairman.

In a statement issued by its Legal Officer, Nosa Tokunbor, in Benin City at the weekend, the group revealed that the decision to remove Bassey was reached at the General Assembly meeting and remained to bide.

He added that the purported ERA/FoEN Board Staff meeting being organized for staff of the organization by another executive of the organization was illegal, and of no effect.

Tokunbor said the removed ‘Chairman of Board’ lacks the power to convene and address a board meeting of ERA Staff.

He maintained that Bassey was removed as trustee and BoT Chairman on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, by a resolution of the General Assembly.

“Bassey has been removed as the chairman of the Board of Trustees and therefore lacks the power, authority or capacity to convene any board or staff meeting. He was removed because of the lingering irreconcilable conflict of interest and therefore cannot perform such function,” Tokunbor said.

He admonished all staff of REA/FoEN not to attend any meetings convened by Bassey, saying doing so would amount to supporting illegality.

But Bassey insisted that he remained BoT chairman of ERA/FoEN, adding that the General Assembly meeting convened by Ojo, where he was purportedly removed as BoT chairman, was illegal and that all decisions reached that meeting amounted to a nullity.

He said Ojo was removed as Executive Director of the organisation at an Emergency Board Meeting on October 3, 2020, based on a report of an Independent Evaluation of ERA/FoEN.