The leadership crisis currently rocking the Benin City-based civil society organisation (CSO), Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), appears to have taken a fresh turn with the faction headed by Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo disclosing in a statement on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 that “former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, ERA/FoEN, Arc. Nnimmo Bassey and a former staff of ERA/FoEN Barr. Chima Williams” have been dragged before the Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos for contempt of court.
A Federal High Court order made on October 7, 2020 had restrained the duo from parading themselves as the Board Chairman and acting Executive Director of ERA/FoEN respectively.
Dr. Ojo and three others had in a suit no: FHC/L/CS/1421/2020 sued Messrs Bassey over conflict of interest and abuse of office.
Barr. Mike Karikpo, Director of Programmes of ERA/FoEN, who disclosed this in a statement, stated that Messrs Bassey and Williams “have severally violated the court order with reckless abandon and utter disregard to the rule of law, hence the decision to slam them with contempt of court”.
He stated further that an application to draw their attention to the contempt of court process has been filed against the duo of Nnimmo Bassey and Chima Williams failing to obey the court order would be made to appear before the court to tell the court why they have continually breached the court order.
The statement quoted Karikpo as appealing to the Global Green Grants and Friends of the Earth International “to call its former Chairman and Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HoMEF) to order to avoid the simmering crisis arising from the conflict of interest”.
