Extension of Ibru’s stay in Ikeja Hotels’ board after resignation raises dust

It seems the resignation of Mr Goodie Ibru as chairman of Ikeja Hotels Plc has not settled the grievances in the company as expected.

The announcement by the management of Ikeja Hotels Plc, owners of Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, that Ibru who recently resigned his position would stay on the board as a non executive director for two months after resigning has attracted mixed reactions from stakeholders.

A statement, sighted by Ripples Nigeria, signed by Mr. Olumuyiwa Adefope, the company Secretary, dated 28, March 2017, officially notifying shareholders of the pioneer chairman’ resignation, confirmed that it took place on March 17, 2017.

But the statement added that Ibru will remain as a non executive director with the Hotels until May 17, 2017, “when he will finally retire from the board.”

The two paragraph statement remained silent on why Ibru is leaving the board of the organization.

However, some vested interests within the Ibru larger family, alleged to have been spear heading the crisis that has forced the board room administrator to be declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EfCC) in 2016, have frowned at the move aimed at retaining the hospitality expert on the board after resigning.

One of the major shareholders of the firm said: “Whatever made him to tender his resignation letter at the time he did should have seen him eased out of from the system, not by having him remain as a director.

Read also: Five months after patriarch’s death, 16 Ibru kids in court over property

“It is better granting him leave of absence that could have equally taken care of the additional two months he is now permitted to enjoy. ”

But a director with the company, who pleaded for anonymity defended the action, when contacted on comments on having Ibru remain as a non executive director.

He put it this way: “This is not the first time a chairman of a private company is allowed to remain on the board, even after finishing his tenure.

“In fact, in most corporate world, such experienced personalities are never done away with.

“Mind you it is this Goodie (Ibru), who founded this company, as such, no matter what anybody can say, he is still having some major shares in the company”.

Though it is being speculated that the in-fighting within the Ibru family, over who controls what, in the vast majority of wealth jointly owned by members the family, made up of five sons of late Pa Ibru, none of the family members would want to offer a statement on the issue.

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