By Joshua Yousouph
The Shipping Association of Lagos State (SALS) has been plunged into fresh crisis following the alleged removal of its President, Mr Leonard Ogamba.
The development comes amidst ongoing internal conflicts and attempts at reconciliation. This is even as the embattled President refuted the claim of his removal, stressing that the process was improper and not in line with the association’s constitution.
Recall that the association has been facing various conflicts and wranglings since the current executives took over office in 2022. Several reconciliatory moves by members of the association as well as the regulator, the Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC) have proven abortive.
In an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily, a member of the Board of Trustees of SALS, Mr Nicodemus Odolo confirmed that the association had officially removed its President through a vote of no confidence on Tuesday, June 11.
According to Odolo, despite numerous efforts to reconcile with the President, he remained obstinate and confrontational with the board, leading to the decisive action.
In the wake of the President’s removal, Odolo said the Vice President, Princess Mulikat Sanni has been sworn-in to complete the current tenure, which is set to end in July 2024. He also noted that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has been formally notified of this leadership change through an official letter.
Odolo said SALS, which operates on a two-year tenure cycle, will be conducting fresh elections in July to elect new leadership.
“In all the reconciliatory processes, the President has decided to be the only odd man. We have tried to reconcile with him, but he is doing otherwise. Finally, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the association removed him from being the President. He has been removed officially by majority votes of no confidence. He has been thrown out. The association is better now. We are ready to move forward because he is the one causing troubles.” Odolo alleged.
When contacted, the embattled SALS President; Leonard Ogamba refuted the claims and the process leading to his alleged removal. He emphasized that there are constitutional processes for impeachment, which he believes were not followed.
Ogamba explained that the rift between him and the BoT of the association escalated following his signing of an out-of-court settlement with APM Terminal, the Nigerian Shippers Council, and the Shippers Association of Lagos.
Ogamba further disclosed that the NSC had earlier scheduled a reconciliation meeting on June 13, 2024, which the BoT members did not attend, adding that his efforts to ensure proper verification of membership were met with resistance from certain board members who were not shippers.
The President highlighted that the meeting held on June 11, 2024, during which the BoT claimed to have removed him, violated an existing mediation agreement between SALS and NSC.
“It is not true”, he affirmed, even as he explained that, “on April 18, 2024, I called for a meeting for the verification of membership, because most of the members are not shippers, majority are freight forwarders and clearing agents. Some board members, particularly those who are not shippers, refused to submit to this verification exercise, leading to misunderstandings.
“I am just hearing about my removal for the first time from you. Such a thing was not mentioned to me. There is a process of impeachment, according to the constitution of the association. They did not even form a quorum. Originally the BoT are 10, but seven are no longer there. So they are just three. There are processes of impeachment. I was not in that meeting. You cannot shave my head in my absence. The Executive Secretary (of Shippers’ Council) is coming to intervene. They are the regulator,” he told our correspondent.
