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A Tale of Two Oil Chiefs, Ronke Sokefun and Austin Avuru

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Both have, no doubt, paid their dues in the oil and gas industry. When the story of Nigeria’s cash cow industry eventually gets written, both names will definitely be mentioned. Unfortunately this is where the similarity ends. One would have expected that having given their time, resources and expertise in building the two organisations where they both plied their trade, recognition and reward for their efforts would be inevitable. While that has been the case with one, it hasn’t quite been the case with the other. In an apparent end of the year gesture, Ronke Sokefun returned to OANDO Plc, many years after she left, as a non executive director. But Austin Avuru on the other hand earned himself a sack, as a non executive director of the board of SEPLAT, a company he co-founded and served as the pioneer CEO.

For a man, who is regarded as a thorough professional in the industry, this isn’t quite the kind of ending the highly cerebral Avuru envisaged for himself, certainly not from a company he gave his blood, sweat and took public in a historic dual listing on the London and Nigerian Stock Exchanges. Seplat is the only African exploration and production company to be listed on the main board of the London Stock Exchange.

The reason for Avuru’s sack, which he has described as mischievous with a calculated attempt to malign his reputation, is what they purportedly claim to be a breach of the company’s corporate governance policies and his fiduciary duties. Although Avuru through his lawyers have advised the public to disregard the sack, one cannot deny the the alleged obvious link between his sack and the scandals that have been rocking SEPLAT these past few months.

The company’s reputation has taken quite some damage as a result of the board chairman, Dr ABC Orjiakor’s indiscretions. Orjiakor is indebted to the tune of $78 million dollars via his Sheba Petroleum Development Company Limited. This prompted some Nigerian banks to drag him to court and some of his business partners warned to give SEPLAT a wide berth. A French independent non-executive director of SEPLAT resigned his position as a result of this. Although he claimed to have resigned for personal reasons.

With Orjiakor forced to resign his position as chairman, following the embarrassment, coupled with Avuru’s sack, there is no denying that this may just be an alleged purge to rid SEPLAT of the last vestiges of the duo that have come to symbolise SEPLAT.

What a way to get rid of a thoroughbred professional and vocal advocate of indigenous participation in the exploration and production sectors of the Nigerian oil industry. In fact, Avuru has in the past, come close to being appointed as the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, specifically during the tenure of the late President Umaru Yar’adua. With a career spanning over 30 decades, Avuru’s career traverses NNPC as a youth corps member, Allied Energy (Nig.) Limited as the Exploration Coordinator, SEPLAT petroleum which he co founded with Orjiakor, among several others. In 2020, he stepped down as both co-founder and pioneer Managing Director of SEPLAT. Today, Delta State-born Avuru spends his time running Platform Petroleum Ltd, a company he founded in 2003 and later teamed up with Orjiakor to create SEPLAT.

Ronke, on the other hand, is a trained lawyer who joined OANDO in 2002 after a legal career that spanned 12 years with both Ighodalo and Associates, a company secretarial firm and the prestigious firm of Aluko and Oyebode where she left as a partner. While in Oando, Ronke rose through the ranks to become the Chief Legal Officer. In 2011, she left for public service in Ogun State and proceeded to serve as a commissioner under Senator Ibikunie Amosun’s two-term administration as governor. In January 2019, she was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation where she still serves till date. A mother of one, Ronke used to be married to Gbenga Sokefun, the older brother to celebrity photographer, TY Bello. The marriage allegedly ended after Gbenga fell on bad times. Gbenga has however, now regained his groove.

The Will.

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Nollywood, social media, others fueling get-rich-quick syndrome — First Lady

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The wife of President Bola Tinubu, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Friday, said skewed messages projected by some movies, social media and religious organisations are fueling the get-rich-quick syndrome which is also driving Nigeria’s high rate of trafficking in persons.

Tinubu also pledged her support to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons in the agency’s ongoing fight against human trafficking.

She stated this when the Director-General of the agency, Binta Bello, led the top management of NAPTIP to her office at the State House, Abuja.

Senior Special Assistant to the First Lady on Media, Busola Kukoyi, revealed this in a statement signed on Friday titled ‘First Lady reiterates call for re-orientation for hard work and patience.’

The First Lady, who was briefed on the activities of the Agency, particularly the recent raid on a baby factory in Abuja, where 19 pregnant young girls were rescued, called on youths to stop making themselves easy targets for traffickers and other criminally minded people by embracing the virtues of patience and hard work.

She said, “The get rich quick syndrome is not helping matters. Even our religious institutions are doing prosperity preaching and even the bible talks about work. Social media is also not helping. Nollywood as well.

She pledged her support to the agency, starting with interfacing with wives of State Governors to assist in enhancing awareness and advocacy about its activities.

Earlier, the Director General of the Agency solicited the First Lady’s support for NAPTIP’s renewed campaign against human trafficking and GBV.

Bello explained that it is top of the agenda of the agency, as the trend of trafficking is getting alarming.

“Trafficking in persons is the second largest transnational organised crime in the world after drug trafficking.

“It is also a huge menace in Nigeria and it requires the buy-in and active engagement of critical stakeholders to fight it,” she stated.

She pointed out that despite the agency’s string of successes including the recent rescue of 21 young victims taken from Niger State, en route Republic of Niger, gaps in resources mobilisation and legal frameworks are some of the challenges confronting the operations of the agency.

She highlighted skills acquisition, awareness advocacy, provision of adequate shelter and safe homes, and legislative and policy support as some of the areas of intervention needed from the First Lady.

The First Lady also gave an audience to the new national executives of the National Council for Women Societies of Nigeria, led by its new National President, Princess Edna Azura.

The delegation was in her office to thank her for her motherly support to the council, especially after the passing of its immediate past National President, Lami Lau.

While commending them for working together in unity, the First Lady encouraged the council to do more for their members by taking advantage of the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI programs at the subnational levels.

Tinubu reiterated her commitment to building better families through the Renewed Hope initiative.

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Ex-minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye joins Nollywood

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Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye has joined the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood.

Kennedy joined Nollywood a few months after being sacked by President Bola Tinubu.

SOCIETY REPORTERS reports that Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye was appointed as minister in August 2023, and removed alongside four others in a cabinet reshuffle on October 23, 2024.

The 51-year-old politician has now shifted her focus to filmmaking barely four months after her removal from the cabinet.

Announcing her acting career on her X handle, the former minister shared a video of her latest project.

Kennedy who is also a lawyer and entrepreneur, joined the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2015 and emerged the party’s first female presidential aspirant in 2023, before ultimately withdrawing to support Tinubu.

 

 

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Alleged N1.3bn Fraud: Police Withdraw Charge against Obanikoro, Adegbenro and Others…

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The Nigeria Police Force has withdrawn the alleged fraud charge against Mr. Gbolahan Obanikoro, the son of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and four others, over alleged N1.3 billion fraud involving Access Bank.

 

Gbolahan alongside, Adejare Adegbenro; Balmoral International Limited; M.O.B. Integrated Limited; and DDSS International Company Limited were billed for arraignment before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos on February 27.

 

However, the police in a Notice of Withdrawal brought under Section 108(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, has informed the court of its desire to withdraw the charge against the defendants.

The document dated February 4, and signed by a Chief Superintendent of Police, J. I. Enang read in part: “Take notice that the prosecution hereby withdraws the above mentioned charge against the defendants herein.

 

 

However, no reason was given for the withdrawal of the charge.

 

In the suit marked: FHC/L/902c/2024, the defendants were accused of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretences, and involvement in a N1,356,057,330.43 fraud.

 

The Inspector General of Police, had through the Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) in Ikoyi, Lagos, accused all the defendants of conspiring between May and September 2013 to fraudulently obtain the sum of N1,356,057,330.43 from Access Bank Plc (formerly Diamond Bank).

 

 

They allegedly misrepresented themselves to the bank’s staff and officers, claiming that they were involved in the business of importing cars from Dubai for sale in Nigeria and that the money was needed to finance the importation of a set of brand-new cars for resale.

 

 

The defendants were also accused of converting, transferring, retaining, or taking possession of the funds, knowing or having reason to know that such funds were proceeds of unlawful activity.

 

Additionally, they were alleged to have unlawfully converted the sum of N1 billion belonging to the bank for personal use.

 

When the matter came up last month, the prosecutor, M.Y. Bello informed the court that the matter was scheduled for the arraignment of all defendants.

 

However, he requested a new date to allow all the defendants to appear in court and take their pleas.

 

 

Counsel for the 4th defendant, Joshua Abel, told the court that most of the defendants, who were directors were not in the country, adding that only the companies named in the charge had been served with the charge sheet.

 

He, however, assured the court that all defendants would be present at the next adjourned date to take their pleas.

 

In light of the submissions, Justice Lewis-Allagoa adjourned the matter to February 27 for the arraignment of all the defendants.

 

Meanwhile, there were indications that the hearing for the case to be struck out might hold tomorrow, Friday.

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