CAC declares faction of farmers’ body illegal
By Godwin Anyebe
The registration of a separate Kano branch of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) by Mr Umar Farouk with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), after his expulsion from the body in 2016 has been declared illegal.
According to the CAC: “A review of our records revealed that All Farmers Association of Nigeria Kano Chapter was inadvertently registered without the consent of All Farmers Association of Nigeria being sought.”
Consequently, the CAC directed Mr Farouk and others acting as trustees of the illegally registered body to change its name to a name clearly distinguishable from All Farmers Association of Nigeria within 6 weeks from the date of the letter, pursuant to the provision of section 593 and other relevant provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).
“Note that the change of name is at no cost to the Association. Meanwhile, your Association’s file shall be placed on caveat pending compliance with this directives and no application shall be entertained. Be guided accordingly,” the letter from CAC stated, Daily Times gathered.
The National President of AFAN, Arc Kabir Ibrahim, had earlier called for the prosecution of Farouk and others for allegedly collaborating to illegally register a fake branch of the association.
“It is criminal, and the perpetrators should face the full wrath of the law instead of parading themselves as leaders with the support of very senior public officers shamelessly,” he further said: “The law does not allow Farouk Rabiu Mudi and his cohorts to parade themselves as AFAN leaders; in fact in a normal setting, they are in breach of the law and should be prosecuted.”
Farouk has been recognised as the national caretaker chairman of the association by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Alhaji Sabo Nanono, and appointed as AFAN’s representative on the special COVID-19 Task Team.
AFAN, which is a registered non-governmental organisation, is national in outlook with registered members in all the 774 local government areas in the country and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The national president further disclosed that before Farouk’s expulsion from AFAN, he had contested and lost the Kano chapter election in 2016 to Alhaji Abdurrashid Magaji Rimingado in July, and in December he illegally registered the fake All Farmers Association of Nigeria Kano State Chapter RC 93484 dated December 22, 2016 with the following as Trustees: Farouk Rabiu Mudi; Garba Ahmed Bichi; Munzali Dayyabu Taura; Kamal Abdulkadir Mustapha; Zubairu Ibrahim and Sanusi Baffa.
“He did this without the consent of All Farmers Association of Nigeria RC 18160 which had the following Trustees: Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako; Dr Shettima Mustafa; Chief Femi Coker; Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Prince Ike Ubaka who were appointed to the BOT at the General Assembly of farmers, held in Kano between 11th and 15th September 2011 at the New Library on Ahmadu Bello Way.
“AFAN had recently written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari drawing his attention to the role of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, in causing a lot of damage to the status quo by trying to muddle in the affairs of AFAN which is not a department in his ministry.
“The minister once served as an appointed caretaker chairman of AFAN in Kano State at one time and suffered some humiliation when he took the Board of Trustees of AFAN to court to continue in office illegitimately.
“The case was thrown out and a proper election was conducted and State Executives were duly elected and inaugurated.
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“His displeasure with AFAN is now manifest since he is trying to promote the fragmentation of AFAN by throwing his weight behind unelected people parading themselves as AFAN officials.
“The renegades trying to scuttle the peaceful atmosphere in AFAN supported by the HMA are the people he has appointed to represent AFAN in the task force to ensure the seamless movement of Agricultural produce, seeds, inputs, agrochemicals and farmers to access their farms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The elected leadership of AFAN is against this interference and will not hesitate to pursue legal action to redress this after the COVID-19 pandemic, when the courts resume sitting, to resolve the impasse.”
