From Douglas Blessing, Port Harcourt
A Federal High Court Sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State, yesterday struck out the suit by Dr Godwin Ojo, former Executive Director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) against erstwhile Chair of the organisation, Nnimmo Bassey, and the Board of Trustees of the Environmental Rights Development Foundation challenging his removal as Secretary in 2015.
Dr. Ojo, who was removed as Executive Director of ERA/FoEN by the Board on October 3, 2020, did not contest the decision of the Board relieving him as executive director, but approached the court to declare his 2015 removal as secretary of the Board illegal.
After nearly two years of legal battle, in April 2022, at the request of the Counsel to Nnimmo Bassey, the Federal High Court in Lagos sought pleadings of both parties in the matter, but the plaintiff allegedly failed to file any process to the effect until June 9, 2022, when the case was struck out.
Presiding Judge, Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa struck out the case on the grounds that the Plaintiff (Ojo) has not shown sufficient seriousness consequent upon which the case was disposed of, also Ojo to pay the sum of N50,000 as cost awarded in favour of the first defendant.
Meanwhile, Prof Margaret Okorodudu-Fubara, Chair, Board of Trustees of the organisation had earlier explained that at its Emergency Board Meeting held on October 3, 2020, to discuss the report of an independent Evaluation of ERA/FoEN, the Board resolved that the services of Ojo were no longer required and his appointment as the Executive Director terminated with effect from October 3, 2020.
According to Prof Okorodudu-Fubara the Evaluation Report which was adopted by the Board for full implementation concluded that Ojo who is “by nature of the position of executive director ultimately responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the organization and staff management is out of his depth, lacking both leadership and management sufficient to the task.”
“The Board subsequently prohibited him from parading himself in any manner as representative of the organisation or in any capacity as ERA/FoEN Executive Director and took a decision to replace him with Barr Chima Williams, the current Executive Director. “
