Secrets Reporters

Sophia Horsfall, the general manager of external relations and sustainable development at Nigeria’s Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), has emerged as a director and significant shareholder of a privately registered energy services company, Trackion Energy Limited, raising questions over corporate governance, conflict of interest, and compliance with the laws of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Paragraph 2(b), Part I, Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) for the Code of Conduct for Public Officers provides that “A public officer shall not, except where he is not employed on a full-time basis, engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession, or trade…”

Paragraph 6 provides that “A public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities.”

Rule 030424 (Outside Employment) generally provides the following: A full-time officer shall not engage in any other business or employment except farming without prior approval of the government.

However, a review of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) records by SecretsReporters shows that Trackion Energy Limited was incorporated on 11 August 2023 as a private company limited by shares with a stated principal business of energy services and supply, which is the same line of business as NLNG. 

The records further indicate that Sophia is listed as one of the company’s directors, owns 300,000 ordinary shares representing 30 percent of the issued share capital, and is recognized as a Person with Significant Control (PSC) within the company.

The remaining 70 per cent shareholding is held by another director, according to the same records.

The discovery has prompted questions among governance observers about whether employees occupying senior management positions in strategic organizations should simultaneously serve as directors and substantial shareholders in private companies operating within related sectors.

SecretsReporters sent out inquiries to obtain the position of the company and the executive regarding the disclosed directorship and shareholding, but no response was received.

Secrets Reporters

An ongoing series of investigations into the life of a public office holder is unearthing a can of worms, such that will make for a Hollywood blockbuster film, depicting the behind the scenes of banks boardroom politics.

Copies of judicial documents obtained from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory have blown open a well-kept, explosive scandal involving one of Nigeria’s most powerful financial regulators. Emem Nnana Usoro, the current Deputy Governor for Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was deeply entangled in a damning matrimonial legal battle, where she was formally cited as a co-respondent for committing adultery with a married man.

The multi-million Naira legal action, filed under Suit No: FCT/HC/PET/251/2019, outlines a jaw-dropping narrative of infidelity, power, and deceit that has surfaced from her days as a high-ranking executive at the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc.

The explosive cross-petition was instituted by Mrs. Grace Wesley, the lawful wife of Mr. Edirin Jerry Wesley who’s now late, even though the court case was filed when he was alive. 

According to the court papers filed by The Summit Chambers from Minna, Niger State, Mrs. Wesley specifically cross petitioned the court for a decree of Dissolution of Marriage with her husband on the unyielding grounds that the union had broken down irretrievably due to open desertion and continuous adultery with Emem Etuk Usoro. The husband Jerry had gone to court to file for divorce which SecretsReporters will report on his reasons subsequently in the course of its expose.

The court filing lays bare a disturbing account of domestic displacement, detailing how the apex bank chief aggressively penetrated the sanctuary of a subsisting marriage that had been consecrated across international borders. According to the cross-petition, Mrs. Wesley accused Usoro of engaging in an adulterous relationship with her husband while their statutory marriage remained legally valid. She alleged that despite being fully aware that Mr. Wesley was lawfully married, Usoro entered into an intimate relationship with him, resulting in children during the subsistence of the marriage. The petitioner maintained that the alleged affair contributed significantly to the irretrievable collapse of her marriage.

Court filings further disclosed that Mrs. Wesley sought damages against Usoro for the alleged adultery and urged the court to restrain her from presenting herself as the lawful wife of Mr. Wesley. The petitioner insisted that her marriage had not been dissolved and remained legally binding throughout the period in question, making any contrary representation misleading and unlawful.

A ThisDay newspaper publication of March 8th 2021 obtained by SecretsReporters also show that Mrs. Wesley filed a strongly-worded public notice following the death of her husband, warning the public against recognising Usoro as his widow. In the notice, she declared that she “is and remains the legal wife of late Mr. Edirin Jerry Wesley,” stating that they were traditionally married in Nigeria on July 31, 2004, before formalising the union in Bergamo, Italy, on May 14, 2005.

Mrs. Wesley maintained in the publication that the marriage endured until the death of Mr. Wesley and asserted that she remained his lawful widow “unless legally proven to the contrary.” She specifically accused Usoro of parading herself as the deceased’s lawful wife and cautioned her to desist from making such representations. The notice equally advised members of the public against dealing with Usoro as the widow of the deceased unless a competent court ruled otherwise.

The cross-petition equally alleged that the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Wesley had “broken down irretrievably” due to desertion and adultery involving the second respondent. The filing asked the court to take judicial notice of the alleged conduct and grant appropriate reliefs, including compensation for the claimed matrimonial wrongs. The available court documents, however, do not indicate the final determination of the allegations, and the claims remained matters presented before the court.

Since the events that gave rise to the litigation, Emem Usoro’s professional career has continued to flourish. A seasoned banker with more than two decades of experience in commercial banking and financial services, she joined the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in 2011, rising to the position of Executive Director for Northern Operations.

In 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed her as Deputy Governor for Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria, an appointment subsequently confirmed by the Senate on September 26, 2023. She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and has been recognised for initiatives promoting financial inclusion and literacy.

Recently, this online media revealed how Emem bought a N1.4 Billion California Luxury Condo and another N3.6bn Los Angeles Property which she concealed from her asset declaration form. 

As of the time of filing this report, Emem was yet to respond to a message sent by this media for her to respond to the claims made in the court document.

To be continued

Secrets Reporters

What was publicly presented as a life-changing aviation scholarship programme for Bayelsa youths has become the subject of a bitter legal dispute involving allegations of broken promises, wrongful detention, reputational attacks and competing narratives over what exactly transpired after two candidates emerged successful in a highly publicised selection process.

At the centre of the controversy is Ezekiel Kariyai Daukoru, a Bayelsa-born petroleum engineering undergraduate, who alleges that a scholarship programme promoted by Dr. Eruani Azibapu Godbless CFR and the Azikel Group failed to deliver the overseas aviation training that was promised to successful candidates.

Daukoru claims that after emerging as one of only two candidates who passed the programme’s qualifying examination in 2024, he was not sent abroad for aviation training as publicly represented. Instead, he alleges that he and another successful candidate were placed in an employment arrangement at Azikel’s aviation facility and remained there for more than a year while waiting for the promised overseas training.

Azikel Group has denied wrongdoing. The company maintains that the aviation scholarship programme was genuine, that beneficiaries received financial support and training opportunities, and that the candidates voluntarily abandoned the programme.

Court filings, correspondence, public statements and interviews reviewed by Secrets Reporters reveal sharply conflicting accounts that are now the subject of proceedings before multiple courts.

The Scholarship Promise

According to Daukoru, he was a 400-level Petroleum Engineering student at Igbinedion University, Okada, when he learned of the aviation scholarship programme announced by Dr. Eruani and Azikel Group.

He said the programme was presented as an opportunity for outstanding Bayelsa youths to receive aviation training in the United States, including pathways to becoming commercial pilots, airline transport pilots and aircraft engineers.

Daukoru alleges that public presentations associated with the programme referenced partnerships involving international aviation stakeholders and suggested that successful candidates would be processed for overseas training after completing the selection process.

He further claims that the programme was publicly promoted as a multi-billion-naira investment in the future of Bayelsa youths.

Believing the opportunity could transform his life and that of his young family, Daukoru said he applied alongside hundreds of other candidates.

Only Two Candidates Passed

According to Daukoru, 776 individuals applied for the scholarship, while 155 candidates eventually sat for the examination conducted at the Federal University, Otuoke, in March 2024.

He said candidates were required to study aviation materials before the examination and that the test consisted of 200 questions with a pass mark of 80 percent.

Daukoru claims that only two candidates met the required score. He identified them as himself and Yebei Ebilate.

Following their success, Daukoru alleges that public announcements were made indicating that visa processing was underway and that the successful candidates would soon depart for the United States.

The announcements, he said, generated excitement among relatives, friends and members of the public who believed the candidates were preparing to begin aviation training abroad.

From Scholarship To Employment?

According to Daukoru, events took an unexpected turn weeks later when he and the second successful candidate were invited to Azikel’s refinery facility in Obunagha.

He alleges that they were informed they would first spend six months working under a probationary arrangement before being allowed to proceed for overseas training.

Daukoru said both candidates objected because they were still students and had applied for a scholarship programme rather than employment.

He alleges that they were subsequently informed that refusal to accept the arrangement could result in the loss of the scholarship opportunity.

Faced with that choice, Daukoru claims they accepted the condition and were issued employment-related documents despite never applying for positions within the company.

He further alleges that they remained within the programme for approximately one year and four months, performing duties that included administrative tasks and other assignments at the aviation facility.

According to him, the arrangement was significantly different from the aviation training they believed they had been promised.

Questions Over Overseas Training

As delays continued, Daukoru said concerns emerged regarding whether the promised overseas training programme would eventually materialise.

He claims that inquiries were later made to foreign institutions and organisations that had allegedly been referenced during public presentations connected to the scholarship.

According to Daukoru, responses received from those organisations raised additional questions about the representations made regarding the programme.

These claims have become part of the broader dispute now before the courts.

The Dispute Moves To Court

Daukoru said he eventually instituted legal proceedings at the Bayelsa State High Court after concluding that the promised training opportunity would not be fulfilled.

Following the filing of the suit, he alleges that he became the subject of adverse media reports portraying him as a scammer and extortionist.

He further claims that a social media post he shared was subsequently used as the basis of criminal complaints that resulted in his arrest and prosecution.

According to Daukoru, he was detained for several months before eventually securing bail.

He has also filed legal actions alleging violations of his fundamental rights.

The allegations contained in those suits remain contested.

Azikel Group’s Response

Azikel Group has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

In public statements, the company has maintained that the aviation scholarship initiative was genuine and established to support Bayelsa youths seeking careers in aviation.

The company stated that the selected candidates received financial support and training opportunities during their participation in the programme.

Azikel Group further contends that the candidates voluntarily withdrew from the programme and disputes allegations that they were deceived.

Individuals publicly associated with the scholarship programme have also denied allegations that candidates were required to pay money or that the initiative was designed to mislead participants.

What The Courts Must Decide

At the heart of the dispute is a question that only the courts can ultimately determine: what exactly was promised to the successful candidates, what obligations were created by those promises, and whether those obligations were fulfilled.

Daukoru insists that he relied on representations made during the scholarship programme, suspended aspects of his academic and professional life, and suffered significant consequences when the promised training did not materialise.

Azikel Group, on the other hand, maintains that the programme was legitimate and that the candidates abandoned opportunities that had been made available to them.

With proceedings ongoing before courts in Bayelsa and Abuja, judicial findings rather than public accusations will ultimately determine where responsibility lies.

Until then, the controversy remains one of the most closely watched disputes arising from a scholarship programme that was once celebrated as a major investment in the future of Bayelsa’s youth.