By Emma Nnadozie

A five-man caretaker committee and interim government has been constituted by the outgoing management committee of the Balogun Business Association, BBA, to manage and control the administration of the association in accordance with the constitution of the association.

The association, pursuant to its constitution and led by the incumbent chairman of the board of trustees of the association, Chief Anthony Obi inaugurated the committee to control its affairs, assets, liabilities, funds and the association’s International Center for Commerce premises.   The committee comprises of a former leader of the market, Hon. (Chief) Anselm Dunu as Chairman, Chief Leonard Ogbonnia as Secretary, Prince tony Akenegbu (Adidas), Chief Nicholas Okeke and Chief Alex Obi-Odunukwe as members.

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Chief Fabian Nwankwo was co-opted to represent various stakeholders in the association in the caretaker committee which has already swung into action by holding its first meeting and initiated measures to reduce tension and bring peace, order and unity in the association and its International Centre for Commerce.

The constitution of the committee came after the timely interventions by Honorable Justice (Professor) Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and Honorable Justice T. Oyekan-Abdullahi of the Lagos State High Court, Lagos Division, sitting separately in different jurisdictions on Thursday,10th December, 2020, and the prompt action of the immediate past management of the association under the leadership of Chief Anthony Obih, now former President but incumbent Chairman of Board of Trustees of the association.

The move which appears to have pulled Balogun Business Association from the brink of major crisis and breakdown of law and order at the association’s International Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Badagry Expressway, Lagos State came after the association was beset by a debilitating crisis since 2018 over control of its Executive Council and Board of Trustees.

The crisis, according to sources, appear to have been instigated by the overbearing and destabilizing actions of another former President of the association who has been bent on seizing control of both the Executive Council and Board of Trustees of the association.

Justice (Professor) Obiozor, in his landmark interim order of injunction of 10th of December, 2020 in a suit brought by Chief Nicholas Okeke, a trustee for life of the association, ordered the association and its officers to go back to strict adherence and compliance with the provisions of the constitution of the association and restrained an allegedly unconstitutional and illegal Electoral Panel from conducting any elections into elective offices of the association.

Chief Anthony Obih, the immediate past President of the association who is the incumbent Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association said that the Constitution of the association is to the effect that it is a caretaker committee put in place on the expiration of the tenure in office of his then Executive Council that will supervise the election of new officers of the association and appoint a returning officer to carry out the election within the period of time stipulated in the constitution of the association.

Vanguard News Nigeria