An energy company, Seplat, stated on Thursday that it has provided the necessary documents concerning its CEO, Roger Brown, to the Nigerian Government.
This statement came after news had emerged earlier that day that the Nigerian Federal Government had pressed charges against Seplat Energy Plc and its CEO for violating the Immigration Act of 2015.
In a corporate notice that was filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited, Seplat stated that it was aware of the lawsuit against the company and some of its directors and officers.
The lawsuit pertains to Mr. Brown’s immigration status and the Ministry of Interior’s cancellation of his immigration visa.
Part of the statement about the submission of document reads, “The Company refers to its Announcement of March 9, 2023, and continues to follow the rule of law and uphold high standards of corporate governance.
“Seplat Energy remains confident that it has provided all of the required documentation to the Ministry of Interior and the judicial process will address the circumstances appropriately.”
This publication recalls that Seplat was on March 9 given an ex-parte interim order “restraining the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roger Brown from participating in the running of the Company [for a period of 7 days].”
The interim order was owing to the charges of unfair, prejudiced, and offensive behavior by the Chairman, CEO and all of the Independent Non-Executive Directors of Seplat Energy, according to a statement signed by Board Chairman Mr Basil Omiyi.
The Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy PLC, Roger Brown, on Friday, March 10 stepped down from his job following the court’s order restraining him from running the organisation for seven days.
However, Seplat refuted claims made by certain petitioners that accused Brown of various actions such as racism, giving preferential treatment to expatriate workers, practicing discrimination against Nigerians, and violating the principles of good governance.
According to Seplat, “These allegations are a spurious and vindictive reaction to the enforcement of corporate governance standards in the Company by the Board of Seplat Energy.”
The Federal Government, in its lawsuit, claimed that the defendants permitted Brown to assume the role of the company’s CEO even though his visa had been revoked earlier.
The government further alleged that the defendants did not obtain the required approval from either the Controller-General of Immigration or the Minister of Interior before hiring Brown.
