Obinna Iwuno, the President of the Stakeholders in the Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SiBAN), has debunked the news making the rounds about his alleged expulsion from the Organization.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Obinna said “All the allegations are false and are coming from a faction of SiBAN that seeks to impose themselves and their selfish ambitions upon our association, seeking” to establish an illegitimate, undemocratic and criminal system that is alien to our governance process.
Techeconomy gathered that some members of the association has been locking horns with current President, Obinna Iwunno.
SiBAN, an advocacy association recently appointed to implement Nigeria’s first blockchain policy, was alleged to have expelled Iwunno after a dispute over the organisation’s registration.
Progressively, it was also alleged that Emeka Ezike, Rabiu Jibia, Dania Narudeen, and Mela Claude Ake, all association executives were expelled.
On Wednesday, a faction parading themselves as SiBAN’s board of trustees claimed Iwunno and the alleged expelled executives named themselves “The Registered Trustees of SiBAN” in a recent company filing. Whilst, the supposed board of trustees described the registration as fraudulent because Iwunno and the executives he listed as trustees were suspended in May following allegations of financial mismanagement.
According to a petition, Ophie Rume, SiBAN’s former executive secretary, alleged Iwunno tried to withdraw SiBAN from the Blockchain Industry Coordinating Committee of Nigeria (BiCCON).
The former executive secretary also accused him of moving company funds into his accounts to make payments for expenses—a job reserved for the treasury and finance department. Rume claimed it allowed him to mismanage the money. Meanwhile, Iwuno insists the allegations are unfounded.
Reacting, Toritseju Kaka, a founding member who returned to SiBAN after a two-year break, to head the caretaker committee that led the association during the investigation of the claims against Iwuno [The CAC registration] was an act of treason.
“We had been asking him to register the association for a long time but he only found time to do it in the middle of an investigation against him,” Ani said. He claims it is a ploy to overturn the pending judgment from the investigation.
However, Iwuno punctured all the claims, stating, thus: “These people are made up of a faction of sore losers in the last election like Senator Ihenyen, who instead of conceding defeat honourably chose otherwise and still remains bittered, unregistered members of SiBAN WhatsApp group like Chris Ani, Tony Emeka Nwabishop and some who have not shown up anywhere in Nigeria for months like Paul Ezeafulukwe and Emmanuel Babalola.
“Some of these people have in the past sought to hijack SiBAN and failed. Such persons are not fit for elected membership nor leadership. And just as true a proof of their character, they named themselves an inexistent and illegal board, hacked into our official emails and website to install themselves as leaders forcefully against a democratically elected executive.
“Their action has been condemned and is being addressed with due process. We will not condescend to their level but will stand on the truth.
Iwuno said that SiBAN has authentic Board of Trustees as in line with the CAC rules.
