Amidst the escalating leadership dispute at Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Babor Egeregor, the company’s Legal Director, has confirmed that Dr. Tinuade Sanda retains her role as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.
Contrary to reports of her dismissal, Egeregor clarified that the Nigerian Electricity Distribution Commission (NERC)’s directives were misinterpreted and did not call for Dr. Sanda’s removal.
Egeregor, who also chairs the Legal and Regulatory committee, stated, “Therefore, let it be known that Dr. Tinuade Sanda remains the MD/CEO of Eko Electricity Distribution Company and has since her assumption of office as the MD/CEO, turned EKEDC around for good, with very great milestones and achievements which every sector player recognises.”
This statement comes in response to earlier claims that the board had ousted Dr. Sanda, appointing Mrs. Rekhiat Momoh in her stead.
However, Egeregor insists that the NERC’s order did not mandate the termination of any staff, except those implicated in alleged fraudulent activities and negligence.
The legal director’s statement suggests that the board’s actions may be an attempt to shield certain individuals from accountability.
He specifically mentioned a letter from EKEDC’s Chairman, Mr. Dere Otubu, which purportedly terminated Dr. Sanda’s contract in line with NERC’s orders—a move Egeregor deems as retaliatory and not reflective of the regulatory body’s actual directives.
NERC’s letter stipulates that all EKEDC personnel must be direct employees of the utility, adhering to the company’s service conditions and payroll system. It also instructs the withdrawal of any seconded staff involved in revenue loss back to their original companies.
Egeregor highlighted that the decision to dismiss Dr. Sanda was an act of retribution for her efforts to expose fraudulent practices within the company.
‘’It has come to my notice that by a letter dated 26th of March 2024, the Chairman of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Mr. Dere Otubu purportedly terminated the Contract of Employment of Dr. Tinuade Sanda, the MD/CEO of EKEDC, allegedly in compliance with Orders/Directives issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
‘’The said Order of the NERC, herein displayed, are unambiguous, incapable of, and unyielding to plural interpretations. There was nowhere in the Order where NERC requested the removal of any staff either seconded to or hired by EKEDC EXCEPT those connected to the alleged fraud and negligence i.e., Wola Joseph Condotti, Sheri Adegbenro, and Aik Alenkhe.
‘’In fact, NERC’s directives were issued to compel the Board of EKEDC, following picketing by the Union and unrelenting Staff protests, to act appropriately in the face of a determined position of a majority of the Board members to cover up the alleged use of ghost workers together with the alleged fraud and protect Wola Joseph Condotti especially.’’
He also noted that the acting Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), representing the government on EKEDC’s board, opposed the dismissal, signaling a rift within the board regarding the handling of the situation.
The ongoing controversy underscores the challenges faced by EKEDC in navigating internal governance and regulatory compliance.
He added, ‘’The board of EKEDC,on which I sit has neither met nor decided on the purported appointment of Mrs.Rekiah Momoh as Ag.MD/CEO ,except Mr.Otubu and his close circle of colleagues have transformed themselves into “the board”. I and all well-meaning members of the EKEDC board, I believe, should vehemently distance themselves from this contrivance.
‘’The Board is not a one man show, and matters are to be collectively deliberated on and approved by Board members. Mrs Momoh is the Chief Commercial Officer of EKEDC and remains so.
‘’Mr.Otubu and his co-travelers have chosen to cherry pick the exhaustive interaction with NERC where one of the Commissioners wondered why no one was yet to be tried or in prison for these grievous allegations and how to recover lost funds part owned by the federal government.
Consequently, the validity of a board member’s letter superseding the directive of the board Chairman, Dere Otubu, remains ambiguous in the midst of this developing situation.
