Disquiet in Eko DisCo over new MD

The change in leadership at the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has taken a new twist following a statement by its legal director that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) did not call for the sack of its former Managing Director (MD), Dr Tinuade Sanda.

Recall that Eko yesterday announced a new MD to oversee the company following a directive from NERC that all staff of the company be directly employed and bound by applicable service conditions.

The directive stated that as stipulated in the Electricity Act 2023, all seconded staff from WPG Ltd working with EKEDC should return to WPG Ltd.

While the leadership change was announced by EKEDC’s Board Chairman, Dere Otubu, the Director of the company, Babor Egeregor, in a statement yesterday, however, said Sanda was still the MD.

Egeregor said the directive of the NERC “is unambiguous, incapable of and unyielding to plural interpretations.”

He added that there was nowhere in the order where NERC requested the removal of any staff either seconded to or hired by EKEDC.

He alleged that NERC’s directive was to those connected to “an alleged fraud and negligence i.e. Wola Joseph Condotti, Sheri Adegbenro and Aik Alenkhe.”

“In fact, NERC’s directives were issued to compel the Board of EKEDC, following picketing by the union and unrelenting staff protests to act appropriately in the face of a determined position of a majority of the board members to cover up the alleged use of ghost workers together with the alleged fraud and protect Wola Joseph Condotti especially.”

He added that the decision to sack Sanda was a “vengeful revenge” against the MD/CEO for escalating an alleged fraud.

The director also stated that a member of the board representing the government via BPE “rejected” the removal.

He further said, “The board of EKEDC on which I sit has neither met nor decided on the purported appointment of Mrs Rekiah Momoh as acting MD/CEO, except Mr Otubu and his close circle of colleagues have transformed themselves into “the board”. I and all well-meaning members of the EKEDC board, I believe, should vehemently distance themselves from this contrivance.

Directive to insulate DisCos from parent company

But a source in NERC who spoke with Daily Trust on the condition of anonymity said the directive was made to sanitise DisCos from the influence of the parent companies that acquired them.

While stating that EKEDC was facing some internal problems despite being the best performing DisCo in the country, the source said the directive was binding on all DisCos in the country to remove all staff working in their parent companies.

While stating that NERC does not plan to intervene now, he said the commission would be forced to act if the crisis continued in the company, especially if its directive was not carried out.