The President of the Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS) has refuted claims of his removal from office, asserting that the purported ouster is unconstitutional.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that a member of the Board of Trustees of SALS, Mr Nicodemus Odolo had earlier alleged that the association had officially removed its President through a vote of no confidence at a meeting that was held on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
However, during a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, President of the association; Mr Leo Ogamba outlined several constitutional violations by the Board of Trustees (BOT), insisting that he remains the association’s president.
Ogamba stated that the general meeting which held on June 11, 2024, where he was allegedly removed, was not properly-constituted, adding that he was not notified of the meeting, neither through email nor WhatsApp.
He also alleged an unauthorized name-change by the BOT, who unilaterally altered the association’s name from Lagos State Shippers’ Association (LASSA) to Shippers Association Lagos State (SALS) without following due process, including the statutory newspaper publication.
The President of SALS accused the BOT members of ‘appointing’ themselves in 2008 without adhering to proper procedures. According to him, they replaced original trustees without due process and attempted to legitimize these changes without the requisite documentation from the Lagos State Government.
Additionally, Ogamba stated that the current BOT does not meet the constitutional requirement for a quorum, which is seven members. With only three members remaining, he stressed that they lack the authority to convene official meetings or take significant decisions such as the removal of the president.
Speaking further, he also alleged a violation of a mediation agreement with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) that suspended all SALS meetings pending reconciliation, adding the board has reportedly violated this agreement multiple times, including during the disputed June 11 meeting.
Affirming his position as the President of the association, Ogamba challenged the BOT member, Rev. Odolo, who spoke to the press about his alleged removal, to provide evidence of any misconduct. He however urged the public to disregard the unconstitutional claims while reiterating his commitment to upholding the association’s constitution and directives from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
Explaining, he said: “I was not in the meeting. Till today I have not received any letter of the purported removal either through e- mail or WhatsApp. I agree that there is a disagreement between the President and every other member who is not ready to comply with the constitution of the association. Evidence on record discloses that BOT came to the office through the backdoor to the extent that they changed the name of the association from Lagos State Shippers Association (LASSA) to Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS).
“The BOT only has power to summon and preside over BOT meetings and no other meeting. The duty of the BOT under the constitution is to ensure proper custody of the property of the association and to give advice to the executive council”.
“In summary, the mediation is still ongoing. I challenge Rev. Odolo who addressed press on the purported removal of the President to publish the offences committed by the President. I state categorically that the publication of the alleged removal should be disregarded on the ground that it is unconstitutional and that the president is still recognized by government” Ogamba asserted.
