AGONY OF EX-REP MEMBER, DORIS UBOH-OGUNKOYA
This is definitely not the best of time for the former House of Representative member, Engr. Doris UbohOgunkoya, as she is currently enmeshed in some troubles.
It all started after her ambition to represent the Delta North on the platform of the Labour Party suffered a humiliating defeat. Then, she found herself in another messy situation when the Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos ordered 11 commercial banks in the country to freeze her account, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The affected banks are: United Bank Plc; First Bank Plc; Zenith Bank Plc; Enterprise Bank Limited; Skye Bank Plc; Heritage Bank Plc; Keystone Bank Plc; Mainstreet Bank Plc; Union Bank Plc; Diamond Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC Plc.
The order of the court was sequel to an application filed before the court by a Lagos lawyer, Dada Awosika, on behalf of a commercial bank, Sterling Bank Plc, against the former female lawmaker, who represented Ika Federal Constituency of Delta State between 2007-2011, and her company, Dagasteel International Limited.
Aside from the order freezing the female politician’s accounts in those commercial banks, the Presiding Judge, Yunusa Mohammed, also gave an interim order restraining the Registrar of Titles of Lagos and Delta States, and Director of Lands, Abuja Geographical Information System, from making any advancing payment and / or releasing any funds either in Naira or US dollar, which sum represents proceeds from Shell Petroleum Development Company,(SPDC), and Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA), contract belonging to the former female lawmaker’s company, or her agent, privies, assigns or anyone acting through the lawmaker or her company.
Sterling Bank Plc, in an affidavit sworn to by Mr. Tunji Bajowa, a senior recovery officer of Sterling Bank in a suit number FHC/L/CS/520/15 filed before the court by its lawyer, Dada Awosika, stated that Engr. Uboh-Ogunkoya, who was the senatorial candidate of Labour Party in Delta North in the recently conducted general election, was granted multiple credit facilities of $1,600,000, and N100 million to fund the completion of the contract awarded by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SDPC, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and Pipelines and Product Marketing Company Limited, (PPMC), to her company, Dagasteel Internat ional Limited.
The bank alleged that Doris UbohOgunkoya, as at the time the credit facilities were being granted to her, made available her property, measuring 3,055,195 SQM, situated at 22, Onuwa street, behind OgbeUmudia mixed secondary school, Agbor, Ika South Local Government; another property measuring 1334,342 SQM, belonging to one Adebowale Ogunkoya, situated at Victory Estate, Ajah, in Eti-osa Local Government Area of Lagos state and a property situated at 11, Abdou Diof Crescent, Federal Territory, as security/ collateral for the loan.
An order directing that monies/ funds belonging to the two defendants in custody or possession of Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, and Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and funds standing to credit of the two defendants in various financial institutions be paid over to Sterling Bank, in part satisfaction of the defendants’ indebtedness. An order of foreclosure and directing judicial sale of properties of the defendants assets/ properties at 22, Onuwa street, Boji-Boji, Agbor, IJA south Local Government, Delta State; 11, Abdou Diof Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja, and Victory Estate, Ajah, Lagos, and that proceeds of such sales be applied towards the satisfaction of the defendants’ indebtedness, and an order of injunction restraining Registrar of Titles, Lagos state, Registrar of Titles, Delta State and Director of Lands, Abuja, who are third to fifth defendants in this suit, from registering any third party interests on any of the defendants’ assets/ properties, except party that obtains titles pursuant to the judicial sale.
An order for payment of bank’s counsel’s fees of N12, 500, 000, in line with Clause 14 of the Credit Facility Agreement between the bank and the defendants dated August 22, 2013.
The matter has been adjourned till May 19th for report of compliance.
A golden fish has no hiding place, so goes the saying. Truly, this saying had meaning recently when the doyen of Integrated Marketing Communications industry in Nigeria and Chairman of Troyka Holdings Limited, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, bagged the Manager of the Year Award in the field of Marketing Communications at the International Achievements Forum held by the Europe Business Assembly at the Institute of Directors, Pall Mall, London, United Kingdom.
Shobanjo, according to the organisers, merited the award given to Chief Executive Officers (CEO), company owners and top managers who have given significant inputs to the successes of their companies by advancing the best management practices and services for employees and customers.
The organisers added that Shobanjo’s selection was due to his vision and leadership, innovativeness, creativity, professionalism, exceptional managerial skills, business ethics, company performance and effectiveness as well as corporate social responsibility.
Shobanjo’s Troyka Holdings Limited, which comprises of notable companies including Insight Communications, All Seasons Mediacom, Media Perspectives, Optimum Exposures, The Quadrant Company and Hot Sauce (Digital Marketing) also won the award for Best Enterprise of the Year at the Forum.
The awards were received by the Group’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Insight Communications, Mr. Jimi Awosika. Shobanjo said the awards were testaments to the innovativeness and creativity which had been the hall mark of the Group founded on Professionalism, Honour, Integrity and Passion.
The event also afforded the Group the opportunity of presenting its successes and new projects to EBA members and representatives, including one of the leading UK business unions, the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Born over 70 years ago, Shobanjo has transverse Broadcasting and especially Advertising like a colossus for over four decades. His blossoming and flourishing career started at the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), now known as Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) as a Studio Manager in
1964. He left and pitched his tent with the then Americanowned Grant Advertising as an Accounts Executive Trainee in November 1971. Five years later and at age 30, he became the Deputy Managing Director of the company in 1976 and left in December 1979.
Alongside Awosika and Chukwuma Ibe, Shobanjo co-founded Insight Communications Limited with the vision to revolutionalise the Nigerian advertising industry. Almost a decade later, he incorporated Troyka Holdings Limited, the largest and most innovative integrated marketing communications group in sub-Saharan Africa, with businesses in marketing communications, resource management, and asset protection. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Insight Communications for 25 years, before standing down in December 2004.
Member of the British Institute of Public Relations (IPR); The British Institute of Marketing; International Advertising Association; Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria and Commonwealth Journalists Association; Shobanjo is also a past President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN).