…Worries over damaged reputation, seeks compensation, apologies
A United Kingdom based Nigerian and former Managing Director of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, Marilyn Amobi, has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, urging his intervention in a legal brawl involving her and the Nigerian Electricity and Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The petition is titled: Serious Corporate Misconduct by multiple breaches of the public service, and dated 5th December 2024. The issue has culminated into legal tussle with suit number CV/6763/120. While Dr Amobi is the Claimant in the suit, NERC is the Defendant.
In the alleged suit, she cited among other allegations multiple breaches of the public service rules (PSR) and financial regulations in addition to false allegations against her among others as exhibited by the board of NERC. Another petition that changed hands between the petitioner and NERC was in a letter with reference number NERC/03/F&M5& Admin/1/18/310 dated 6th September 2018 captioned: Re-wanton destruction of commission’s property.
Dr Amobi’s petition also contained NERC’s accusation that she assaulted a contractor, to which the former MD denied. “ The Commission did not clearly specify the allegedly damaged property” and “failed to provide sufficient details of the identification of the allegedly assaulted contractors”
While seeking President Tinubu’s intervention in the matter, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NBET also sought consideration that administrative process be allowed to run pari passu with ongoing judicial review as a way of addressing the damages the board’s maliciously motivated action has caused.
It reads: “This document raises notifications whilst it recommends consequential and exemplary policies Mr President can adopt to promote a higher sense of responsibility from public servants whilst still inhibiting them from using government institutions to pursue self aggrandisement enterprise.
“This document recommends that Mr President consider to hearing Dr Amobi’s petition and charging the members of the NERC board before a disciplinary panel for wasting public funds pursuant to the provisions in the public sector rule to complement the judicial review Dr Amobi instituted at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court.”
The petition noted further that for almost five years, she (Amobi) waited to get the board to authenticate the veracity of the malicious allegations against her, withdraw them, and publish an apology letter via national newspapers and none was acceded to.
“I tried to minimise the damage the false allegations have caused my reputation, integrity, and brand both in Nigeria and internationally…As part of the financial malfeasance, taxpayers’ funds to the tune of N15,000,000, 000 was misapplied to pursue self aggrandising enterprise”, she wrote in the petition to the president.
Dr Ambobi added “despite (my) shared understanding with the board members regarding the damage the false allegations inflicted on her (my) reputation and career,” NERC has remained adamant. She therefore sought “accelerated hearing of (her) petition, along with equally expedited disciplinary processes against the members of the Board of the NERC”, the petition further revealed.
