Business News
Eko Hospital directors head back to court
The ten year tussle between EKO Hospital founders and Geoff Ohen, which was close to resolution has taken a new twist.
Investors in Eko Hospital hoping for a final resolution of the decade-long tussle between the founders of EKO hospital and Geoffrey Ohen may have to wait awhile.
In a notice sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), yesterday, the company disclosed that an Extra Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) scheduled for Thursday, July 5, 2018, has been postponed.
The postponement was due to an appeal filed by Geoff Ohen Limited against the judgment of a Federal High Court as well as a stay of execution of the same judgment.
At the meeting that has now been postponed, the following resolutions were to be approved.
- The conversion of debt owed the founders and Dr. G.A. Cole into equity.
- The allotment of 110,000,000 (one hundred and ten million) ordinary shares to Geoff Ohen Limited via a Special Placement scheme as approved at the Completion Board meeting of 17th June 2008.
Nairametrics had prior to this, covered the tussle in a corporate story series.
The debt owed the trio of Sunday Kuku, Augustine Obiora, and Alexander Eneli arose as a result of salary and emolument arrears when the hospital had financial challenges. 25 percent of the outstanding was to be paid in cash, and the rest converted to equity.
In a bid to raise capital as well as defray this debt, the company offered Geoff Ohen Limited 110 million units at N4 a share. The firm is an investment vehicle through which Geoff Ohen, a director maintains his holdings.
Ohen, however, reneged on the deal having acquired shares owned by GTBank and Secure Swaps. He accused the founders of mismanaging the hospital, and as such should not benefit from the swap arrangement. He also stated that the debt was not included in the investment prospectus he was given.
Regarding the stealth acquisition of the shares, he maintained he was under no obligation to inform the directors, as the transaction was recorded by the company’s registrars.
The tussle between the board members has taken a toll on the hospital’s operations. It recently had to write off close to a billion Naira of bad debt.
About EKO Hospital
Ekocorp Plc started off as Mercy Specialist Hospital in 1977 and was incorporated on the 9th of February 1982 as a private limited company by shares. It became a Public Liability Company (Plc) in 1991 and by 1994, the name changed to Ekocorp Plc.
The EKO represents the first letter of the surname of each of the 3 founders Eneli, Kuku, and Obiora.
Coronavirus
Former Liberian President to sit on WHO review panel of COVID-19 response effort
Ellen Sirleaf has been picked alongside Helen Clark, to serve as co-chairs of the independent panel.
Following stern criticism by US President, Donald Trump, over their handling of the COVID-19 response efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced it will implement an independent panel to review said response efforts to the pandemic.
To this end, Liberia’s former President and West Africa’s first female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has been picked alongside former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, to serve as co-chairs of the independent panel. They will be responsible for selecting the other members of the panel, according to the WHO.
WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom, announced the panel will produce an interim report in a November meeting of global health ministers. Meanwhile, the substantive report would be produced by May 2021.
Tedros also said that the size of the pandemic calls for the need for a “commensurate evaluation, an honest evaluation”, adding that the WHO would be very serious with the preparation of the report.
READ MORE:COVID-19: WHO warns worst is yet to come as firm charges $2,340 for virus treatment
The WHO members in May agreed to an independent review of the organization’s response to the pandemic. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the review of the body’s response would be challenging but looks forward to her role in doing what she can contribute to the response of the pandemic’s challenges.
The panel will also report monthly updates on the body’s response and will not only review the WHO’s response but also the International community’s response. Tedros added that it’s time for an honest reflection on the global response, saying a response will help with lessons on the pandemic.
Economy & Politics
Presidency dismisses allegation of Osinbajo receiving N4 billion from recovered loots
The accusation was described to be an obvious campaign of lies and calumny.
The office of the Vice President has reacted to a series of tweets accusing Professor Yemi Osinbajo of instructing the embattled acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, to release the sum of N4 billion out of N39 billion that was recovered from alleged looters.
These allegations have been described as “false and baseless”.
READ ALSO: UPDATE: President Buhari appoints Prof. Gambari as new Chief of Staff
A statement that was signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said, “with all emphasis at our disposal, let it be firmly stated that these are totally false and baseless fabrications purposing to reflect goings-on at the probe panel investigating Mr Ibrahim Magu”.
Ibrahim Magu was relieved of his duties this week, after a probe was conducted on his activities as Acting Chairman of the nation’s anti-graft agency. He has since been replaced with Mohammed Umar.
READ MORE: Just In: DSS invites EFCC’s Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu for questioning)
Meanwhile, the statement by the Presidency also complained about the recent rise in people being paid to “peddle blatant falsehoods” against the Vice President and says Mr Osinbajo “will not be distracted by these obvious campaigns of lies and calumny”.
The statement added that the online publications “being criminally defamatory in nature” have been referred to law enforcement agencies for investigation.
Explore economic research data from Nairametrics on Nairalytics
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PRESS STATEMENT
VP @ProfOsinbajo WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED BY CAMPAIGNS OF LIES & CALUMNY pic.twitter.com/HjdGzEJVpI
— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) July 8, 2020
Financial Services
Stanbic IBTC observes closed period, as directors set to consider H1 results
The directors will also consider a proposal to pay an interim dividend to shareholders.
Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc announced earlier today that its board of directors will meet on Wednesday, July 29, as part of preparations towards the release of the company’s consolidated and separate audited financial statements for half-year 2020. The directors will also consider a proposal to pay the company’s shareholders an interim dividend.
A statement issued by the Stanbic IBTC to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) noted that the scheduled board meeting is in tandem with guidelines contained in section 1.2 of the NSE’s rules book.
In the meantime, the bank Hold-Co has already commenced observing its closed period ahead of the release of the half-year financial statements. Specifically, Stanbic IBTC began observing its closed period on June 1st, 2020, the implication being that all insiders and their relatives have been prohibited from trading the company’s shares for more than one month now.
Explore economic research data from Nairametrics on Nairalytics
Note that the Stanbic IBTC’s closed period will continue until the half-year financial statements are released. Part of the statement which was signed by Chidi Okezie (Company Secretary), said:
“In accordance with the provisions of Section 1.2 of the Rules of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (The NSE) relating to Board Meetings and General Meetings of Issuers, we would like to notify The NSE and our Shareholders, that a meeting of the Board of Directors of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC (the Company) is scheduled to hold on Wednesday 29 July 2020 at 1:00 pm. The meeting will discuss amongst other items, the Company’s Consolidated and Separate Audited Financial Statements for the Half-year ended 30 June 2020 as well as a proposed interim dividend.
READ ALSO: COVID-19: NSE extends time for submission of audited financial statements
“In view of the above, the closed period for the release of half-year results, which commenced on Monday, 01 June 2020 will continue to be in effect until the release of the Company’s Half-year audited financial statements.”
Recall that the last earnings report that was released by Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc was for Q1 2020. The unaudited report showed that gross earnings stood at N61.4 billion as against N58.7 billion in Q1 2019, even though interest income for the period declined by 12% year on year to N27.5 billion. Meanwhile, profit for the period stood at N20.6 billion, an increase when compared to N19.2 billion in Q1 2019.
Stanbic IBTC Holdings’ share price closed at N30.25 at the end of today’s trading session on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Year to date, the stock has declined by nearly -20%.
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Former Liberian President to sit on WHO review panel of COVID-19 response effort
Presidency dismisses allegation of Osinbajo receiving N4 billion from recovered loots
Stanbic IBTC observes closed period, as directors set to consider H1 results
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