The Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, Barrister Chima Williams, has spoken on the crisis that engulfed the organisation from 2020 and also on many other issues of interest. Here are some snippets from the interview.
On the crisis in ERA/FoEN
There is no controversy in the leadership of ERA and where it stands as at today. What we have is the Nigeria mentality, people don’t want to respect due process and rule of law and themselves. An organisation is bigger than any individual member of the organization no matter the position he/she occupies there because that organization is an entity of its own that has rules guiding its processes.
If you call yourself an activist or someone that wants to make change in the society you must yourself look inward whether you can make change in yourself. Then you will think of the survival of an organisation that you were once proud of. Not just looking at your own personality, and that is the crisis that erupted in ERA/FoEN in 2020 when the then Executive Director of ERA had his appointment and membership of the organization terminated as a result of the report of evaluation of the organization that he commissioned and paid for indicted him for among other things, lack of leadership, conduct and practices that tend to show impropriety, vindictiveness and lack of ideas moving the organization beyond where it was.
The Board of the organization was also indicted for not rising to curb the excesses of the Executive Director. Instead of him to take advantage of the window of opportunity given to him to defend himself by answering questions thrown at him he created confusion in the Board meeting which in their wisdom unanimously decided on the 3rd of October, 2020 to terminate his appointment as Executive Director and membership of ERA/FoEN because he was no longer in tune with the philosophy of the organization.
He appointed himself acting Executive Director with effect from 5th of October, 2020. He organised a programme on the 7th of the same month which he said was the General Assembly where he and his cronies that were in his meeting purported to sack the Chairman, Board of Trustees, ERA/FoEN. And because the Board wanted to preserve ERA resources they wrote to our bankers to hold all the accounts till we resolve our issues.
He went to the court and obtained an order to lift the order placed on the accounts. He got the order without our knowledge and notice including myself the acting Executive Director. He got the order ‘Nicodemusly’ and immediately within a week he emptied the account and before we got to know there was an order against us. He sent the letter to our parent body, Friends of the Earth International who now sent the order to us but meanwhile we were with him here.
On progress report on ERA/FoEN and the lingering court case between the two camps
I was elected as one of the two African representatives at the Friends of the Earth International Executive Committee. Yesterday was the court sitting. First was that the order that he had was squashed by a Lagos High Court last year and his case at the Federal High Court, Lagos was struck out last year for lack of diligent prosecution. He ran down to Benin to fill another case at the Federal High Court. That matter came up yesterday and was adjourned for a ruling on our preliminary objection to the case.
I know the basic rudiments of the law and am not here to victimize or undo anybody. I am the Executive Director and am recognized by our parent body where I am today seated as a member of the Executive Committee of the global platform. I have had the opportunity to be singled out to represent the federation at global events. In Nigeria, I am recognized by relevant government agencies and ministries. We were at the Ministry of Environment, Edo State, to celebrate the world environment day.
I was with the Director for Waste Management and EDOSCO leadership where we sensitised Edo people in waste management and how to keep Edo State clean and if we are not in ground here we won’t be doing that. We are working with Edo State Government to review it’s waste management law. We are also working with Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba Okha local government councils. We are also working with Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States, the Presidency, the National Assembly as well as international organisations.
On plastic pollution
When plastics are dumped and it enters the drainage system it blocks it and causes flooding. They are not like some household waste that decay and form compost or manure and used to generate electricity because of the heat that comes from them. They do not melt unless you introduce a heating process.
Executive Director, ERA/FoEN, talks on the crisis that hit the organisation
