ABUJA – Following recent reports in the Daily Trust of Wednesday, March 26, 2025 and legal proceedings concerning the leadership transition at the IBB International Golf & Country Club, it is imperative to address certain inaccuracies and provide clarity on the situation.
Contrary to claims made by Retired General IBM Haruna, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), the ongoing efforts to ensure proper governance at the club have strictly followed due process and remain in alignment with the club’s constitutional provisions.
The move to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) was not an attempt to circumvent procedures but rather an exercise of the membership’s rights to participate in the leadership selection process.
The assertion that the constitution was amended “secretly” without the trustees’ consent is misleading. The revisions made were aimed at ensuring transparency and democratic participation, with the goal of reinforcing accountability within the club’s leadership structure. All changes followed the appropriate channels, and any suggestion to the contrary is an attempt to misinform the public and club members.
There was publication for the amendment in the two daily newspapers – Leadership Newspaper of Friday June 21, 2024 at page 14 & 15; The Guardian Newspaper of Monday June 24, 2024 at page 39 to page 40 containing all the details of the amendment. There was also a public notice placed at the Notice Board of the Club.
The publication in the dailies and the Public notice invited the general public to forward any objections to the application for the filing of the amendment to CAC within 28 days of the publication in line with the provisions of the CAMA 2020. The said publication in the two dailies was also pasted on the telegram of the club, a platform that all members of the club belong to.
It is noteworthy that no objections were received by the CAC. Instead, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, aware of the impending registration of the amended constitution, engaged the law firm of Olowolafe & Co to write to the CAC. In a letter dated May 2, 2024, the law firm submitted a petition, not an objection to the proposed amendment, but rather a complaint against an unauthorized amendment.
The Corporate Affairs Commission forwarded the said petition through the law firm of J-K Gadzama LLP engaged to file the amended constitution and we replied vide letter of November 5, 2024 clarifying the state of affairs in the amendment process. The CAC after their review approved the registration of the amended constitution.
The legal action taken to halt the EGM is a deliberate move to stall the transition process and maintain the status quo, despite the will of the general membership. The decision of the Federal High Court ordering all parties to maintain the status quo does not affirm the chairman’s claims but simply serves as an interim measure pending a full hearing, next week April 3, 2025.
The IBB Golf & Country Club remains committed to upholding fairness, integrity, and the democratic principles upon which it was founded. We urge all members to remain steadfast in supporting lawful and transparent governance that prioritizes the collective interest of the club rather than the entrenchment of select individuals.
Alh. Ibrahim Babayo, Captain, IBB International Golf and Country Club
