Dear SiBAN Community,
We wish to bring to your attention a matter of serious concern regarding the recent actions of Mr. Obinna Iwuno. It has come to our notice that Mr. Obinna Iwuno has unilaterally registered an illegal body named “The Registered Trustees of SiBAN” without proper consultation or approval by the community or the SiBAN leadership. This act amounts to utter fraud.
Mr. Obinna Iwuno’s condemnable action represents multiple breaches of trust and governance standards that our community upholds:
- Misuse of Authority or Position: Mr. Obinna Iwuno has misused his position by making the unauthorized decision to register the organization without consulting any of the relevant governing bodies or stakeholders. Mr Obinna Iwuno, while under suspension as president, has appointed himself as the Chairman of his own Board of Trustees, and Mr. Emeka Ezike, the suspended VP (Media & Publicity) designated as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Other SiBAN-registered members named as members of the Board of Trustees of this unauthorized association include Rabiu Abdulhameed Jibia (suspended Acting Vice President, Memberships) Dania Oluwaseun Narudeen (aka Seun Dania), and Mela Claude Ake. The date of this registration is 17 August, 2024, apparently after Mr. Iwuno and the Executive Council had been suspended and a Panel of Inquiry was still sitting. This disregard for our dear association, its founders, its past and present leaders, and its members gravely and flagrantly undermines the principles on which SiBAN is founded since 2018. Apparently, the illegal and unauthorized action of Mr Obinna Iwuno and his accomplices was carried out in bad faith.
- Insubordination and Lack of Cooperation: Despite being entrusted with a leadership role, Mr. Obinna Iwuno has displayed a persistent lack of cooperation with the ongoing efforts to maintain transparency and integrity within our community. He has chosen to act independently, ignoring repeated calls for accountability and oversight, and refusing to engage constructively with the SiBAN Caretaker Committee or other leadership bodies and stakeholders.
- Formation of a Rival Organization Using the SiBAN Brand: By registering the organization under a new structure and appointing his own board, Mr. Obinna Iwuno has effectively formed a rival association using the SiBAN brand, a condemnable and criminal act that will create confusion and deception among our good members, stakeholders, and the public. This action is a direct attempt to undermine the existing leadership and the unity of our community.
We, the founders and members of our dear association will not tolerate any impersonation and passing-off of SiBAN, especially perpetuated in the most fraudulent manner by a supposed leader whom we, as guardians, stewards, and members, entrusted our dear association to as president in December 2022. It beats our wildest imagination that a member of our dear association SiBAN will purportedly register the same association in the same name, install himself with his accomplices as the registered trustees, and then start parading themselves as “SiBAN”. Since SiBAN was founded in 2018, with three chairmens and one elected president prior to Obinna Iwuno’s reign from January 2023, this shameless attempt at daylight fraud is unprecedented.
Given these criminal, grave, and condemnable violations, all individuals listed as trustees of this newly formed association purportedly holding out itself as “SiBAN” are hereby expelled from our dear association with immediate effect. Consequently, all our members, affiliates, partners, government agencies, including CBN, NITDA, CAC, NFIU, SEC, the media, other associations and bodies, blockchain organizations, and members of the general public are hereby put on notice to beware of this development and avoid having any dealings whatsoever with the fraudulently registered association known as the “Registered Trustees of SiBAN”.
Founded since 2018 as a lawful association pursuant to the right to association guaranteed under section 40 of the supreme 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), SiBAN remains committed to maintaining the integrity and values of our long-established community and will continue to take the necessary steps to protect our legitimate and lawful interests and uphold our shared principles.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Sincerely,
Emmanuel Babalola,
Secretary,
SiBAN Board of Trustees
Tony Emeka,
Chairman,
SiBAN Board of Trustees