Seplat CEO relinquishes position, loses work, residence permits – Newstrends
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Seplat CEO relinquishes position, loses work, residence permits

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More trouble has come for the Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy Roger Brown over racism allegations.

Brown has been forced to step down from his position following a court order suspending him from office.
A federal high court in Lagos 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 allegations of racism, favouring expatriate workers, discrimination against Nigerians, and breach of good governance.
The company said in a statement on Friday signed by the Board Chairman of Seplat, Basil Omiyi, that the decision was precipitated by the court order
Seplat said Brown had delegated his authority to Samson Ezugworie, the chief operating officer of the company.
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola,  has revoked the work permit, visa, and residence permit of Brown following a petition sent to the minister of interior (against Brown) by employees of Seplat.
Seplat however said Ezugworie would continue to act as CEO during the period that Brown is required to step back from his executive duties.
“Seplat Energy Plc reports that on March 9, 2023, it was served with court processes and ex-parte interim order of the honourable 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 seven days],” the statement reads.
“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 organised a site visit for a number of its major shareholders to the company’s operations, cancelled some catering and landscaping contracts, and introduced a new job performance rating.”

Seplat on Thursday, described the allegations against Brown as a “spurious and vindictive reaction” to the enforcement of corporate governance standards in the company by its board.
Reiterating its position, the firm refuted the allegations, noting that since Brown became CEO in 2020, Nigerian nationals have been appointed to the “company’s most important positions”.
These positions include chairman, senior independent non-executive director, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, it said.
“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,” Seplat said.
“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 ffficer, 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 purport to have shares in Seplat Energy Plc.
“Seplat will follow the due processes of law in responding to the allegations before the courts.”

Business

CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

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CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a $10,000 sale to each licensed Bureau De Change (BDC) operator nationwide.

The apex bank has made its second intervention this month.

The CBN detailed the action in a circular issued to the President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators (ABCON).

BDCs can purchase dollars at a rate of N1,021 per dollar.

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They are, therefore, authorized to sell this forex to eligible end users at a maximum spread of 1.5 percent above the purchase price, translating to a maximum selling price of N1,036.15 per dollar.

On the 8th of April 2024, the CBN sold $10,000 FX to each of the 1,588 participating BDCs at a fixed rate of N1101 per US dollar at a spread capped at 1.5 percent above the purchase price from the CBN (approximately N1,116.15 per dollar). This limited the potential profit BDCs could make on each transaction

The latest circular has instructed all eligible BDCs to commence immediate payment of the Naira equivalent for their allocated $10,000 into designated CBN Naira Deposit Accounts.

CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

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Business

Dangote refinery further drops diesel price to N940/litre 

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Dangote refinery further drops diesel price to N940/litre 

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a further reduction in the price of both diesel to N940 per litre.

This is coming a few days after the refinery reduced diesel price to N1,000 per litre.

It also gave a new price for aviation fuel, pegging it at N980 per litre.

It disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the diesel price change of N940 is applicable to customers buying five million litres or more from the refinery, while those purchasing one million litres or more will pay N970.

It said this marked the third major reduction in diesel price “in less than three weeks when the product sold at N1,700 to N1,200 and also a further reduction to N1,000 and now N940 for diesel and N980 for aviation fuel per litre”.

Speaking on the new development, Anthony Chiejina, head of communication, Dangote Group, said the new price was in tandem with the company’s commitment to alleviating the effect of economic hardship in Nigeria.

“I can confirm to you that Dangote Petroleum Refinery has entered a strategic partnership with MRS Oil and Gas stations, to ensure that consumers get to buy fuel at affordable price, in all their stations, be it Lagos or Maiduguri,” he said.

“You can buy as low as one litre of diesel at N1,050 and aviation fuel at N980 at all major airports where MRS operates.”

He said the partnership would be extended to other major oil marketers.

“The essence of this is to ensure that retail buyers do not buy at exorbitant prices,” he said.

“The Dangote Group is committed to ensuring that Nigerians have a better welfare and as such, we are happy to announce this new prices and hope that it would go a long way to cushion the effect of economic challenges in the country.”

Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ajayi Kadiri, said the decision “to first crash the price from about N1,750/litre to N1,200/litre, N1,000/litre and now N940 is an eloquent demonstration of the capacity of local industries to positively impact the fortunes of the national economy.

“The trickle-down effect of this singular intervention promises to change the dynamics in the energy cost equation of the country, in the midst of inadequate and rising cost of electricity.”

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Aviation

Dana Air grounds plane after runway incident, 83 passengers on board

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Dana Air grounds plane after runway incident, 83 passengers on board

Dana Air says it has grounded its airplane that skidded off the Lagos airport runway on Tuesday.
The affected aircraft, a McDonald Douglas (MD-83) with registration 5N-BKI, had 83 passengers on board, it added.
Spokesman for the airline, Mr Kingsley Ezenwa, however, said all the 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries.
He said in a statement that the airline decided to ground the plane to allow for proper investigation into what caused the accident.
The statement read in part, “Dana Air regrets to inform the public of a runway incursion involving one of our aircraft, registration number 5N BKI, which was flying from Abuja to Lagos today, 23/04/24.
“We are relieved to confirm that all 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries or scare as the crew handled the situation with utmost professionalism.
“We have also updated the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the incident, and the aircraft involved has been grounded by our maintenance team for further investigation.
“We wish to thank the airport authorities, our crew for their very swift response in ensuring the safe disembarkation of all passengers following the incident, and our sincere apologies and appreciation to the passengers on the affected flight for their patience and understanding.”

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