It had also been reported that Brown stepped aside from office following the order of a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Pro-human rights civil society, Make A Difference Initiative (MADI), has called for the resignation of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Seplat Energy PLC, Mr Roger Brown, over alleged racism, discrimination against Nigerian staff, and breach of good governance code.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Nigerian government revoked Brown’s work permit, visa and residence permit over the allegations.
It had also been reported that Brown stepped aside from office following the order of a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The court had restrained the Seplat boss from parading himself as the firm’s CEO, pending the determination of a suit filed against him and others by aggrieved stakeholders of the company.
Meanwhile, human rights group, MADI demanded that Brown, the Seplat Board Chairman, Mr. Basil Omiyi; and the non-executive directors under them all should resign over the racism scandal rocking the company.
The advocacy group made the call at a press conference addressed by its Executive Director, Lemmy Ughegbe, in Abuja on Tuesday, stressing that their continued stay in office was inimical to the interest of both the workers and the country.
“MADI condemns in the strongest terms possible the obvious dereliction of duty, complicity and irresponsibility of Seplat Board led by Mr. Basil Omiyi, a Nigerian national, in quickly taking sides with the oppressors of our people on their own soil.
“It is failure of leadership and complicity on the part of Omiyi-led Board that Mr. Brown freely perpetrated such racist and discriminatory practices in Seplat without any preemptive measures or sanctions by the Board Chairman and the non-executive Directors whose responsibility it is to ensure that Seplat is run in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and the Good Governance for which the company was known until recently”, the group stated.
“We are in possession of letters dated 9th February and 15th February inviting Brown to the investigative hearing. But, as rightly reported by the Ministry, he ignored both invitations. We wonder if a Nigerian citizen or corporate entity would dare such impunity and disdainful treatment of UK government and people on UK soil,” the group noted.
MADI also backed an interim order by the Federal High Court, Lagos, restricting Brown from acting as the CEO of the company and also barring the Board Chairman and all the Non-Executive Directors from continuing to run the affairs of the company.
Brown, a British, joined Seplat in 2013, as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and was made the company’s CEO in November 2019, but effectively assumed the office in 2020.