Court adjourns Ekiti impeachment case to Feb 20

By Christiana Ekpa

Ekiti State High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the suit filed by the former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Gboyega Aribisogan due to fresh issues raised by the claimant in his reply to the counter-affidavit of the defendants.

The court subsequently adjourned the case till February 20 to allow the defendants to respond to new issues raised by the former speaker.

Justice Adekunle Adeleye, at the resumed hearing of the suit on Wednesday, said the defendants should be given the opportunity to respond to new facts in the counteraffidavit and written address filed by the claimant.

Defendants in the suit are the Ekiti State House of Assembly, its clerk, and speaker, Olubunmi Adelugba, respectively first, second and third defendants.

Counsel to the claimant, Stanley Imhanruoh, withdrew an application he had filed to set the matter down for hearing which was granted by the presiding judge, Justice Adeleye and on behalf of Aribisogan, filed a reply to the counter-affidavit in opposition to the Originating Summons and an affidavit of service of the process.

“We were served yesterday with their Counter-Affidavit which contains new facts and new issues of law which we will have to react to and by the rules of the court and settled position of the law, we have to react,” Balogun said.

Justice Adeleye, in his reaction, stated: “Your application is not ripe for hearing; I don’t want to run a kangaroo court. If you served them yesterday and he has raised observations that you have raised new issues he would have to react to them.

“Ordinarily, the other party should be given the opportunity to react. You (Imhanruoh) that is delaying yourself by introducing new issues, next time, serve on time so that the other side can reply on time. Your failure in serving them on time is your own problem.”

Justice Adeleye also reiterated his commitment to be fair to parties in the suit urging them to cooperate with the court to hear and conclude the suit as soon as possible.

Fidelity Bank appoints former MD of UBA Benin Republic as executive director

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

Fidelity Bank has named Pamela Shodipo, the managing director of the Benin Republic subsidiary of United Bank for Africa (UBA) between December 2021 and November 2022, as an executive director.

In a regulatory filing, the bank said Mrs Shodipo will head the South Directorate of the lender which, as part of the push to join the rank of Nigeria’s top banks by tier 1 capital, last August announced a pact to buy out rival Union Bank’s UK unit.

The appointment has the endorsement of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the bank said, adding that the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria have been notified.

With a banking experience of more than a quarter of a century, Mrs Shodipo has worked in retail, corporate, commercial and public sectors, functioning in management roles within and outside Nigeria.

She started her career in 1991 at International Standard Insurance Limited before switching to banking the year after, when she took the role of customer service officer at United Commercial Bank Limited (UCBL).

As of the time of exiting Zenith Bank in 2007, she had ascended to the Assistant General Manager grade within the ten years she spent at the organisation since joining it from UCBL.

“Pamela enjoyed an illustrious career at UBA and headed various regional banks,” Fidelity Bank said in the statement.

“She was elevated to the position of general manager in 2017 and had direct supervisory responsibility for up to 28 branch managers from 2017 to 2020.”

Prior to becoming the chief executive of UBA Benin Republic, she held the post of directorate head, Lagos 3/Public Sector at the bank.

Mrs Shodipo briefly led the personal banking division of the UBA Group until her current appointment.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Lagos in 1990 and later a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Wales College of Cardiff, UK.