The Citizens for Development and Education (CDE) has vowed to drag the Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF) and the Board of Trustees (BOT), under the leadership of Prof. Mohammad Tabiu, to court over the suspension of Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya from the membership of the Kano Civil Society Forum.
According to a statement signed by the Media Aid to Amb. Ibrahim Waiya, Alhaji Bahir A. Bashir, a copy of which was made available to the press in Kano, the public has been urged to disregard the purported suspension.
However, the statement said, “The attention of Amb. Ibrahim Waiya, the Executive Director of Citizens for Development and Education (CDE), has been drawn to a widely circulated media report, especially on social media platforms, that the BOT, under the leadership of Prof. Mohammad Tabiu, has suspended Amb. Ibrahim Waiya from the membership of the Kano Civil Society Forum.”
The misleading information in the press release, published on some media platforms, was said to have been signed by one Alhaji Hamisu Isa Sherifai, who paraded himself as the Secretary of the KCSF Board.
Although Amb. Ibrahim Waiya is not the type of person to engage in trading words with anyone, especially on trivial issues like this, it is important to set the record straight for the benefit of others who may have been misled or deceived by the media propaganda.
It is significant to note that the only “crime” Amb. Ibrahim Waiya and his colleagues committed was their objection to a flawed election organised by the BOT to elect the new leadership of KCSF. Out of 200 registered members at the time of the election, less than 50 organisations participated in the irregular elections.
To our surprise, the BOT went ahead and endorsed the process, calling it an election—an exercise we consider a total shame and a stain on the civil society sector. The elections lacked accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, acceptability, credibility, and other fundamental principles.
It is also rather unfortunate that the BOT of the Kano Civil Society Forum is yet to read and comprehend the content of the KCSF constitution, let alone appreciate its powers, limitations, and privileges.
The KCSF BOT has no right to outrightly suspend any registered member, except on the recommendation of the Executive Council, after a thorough investigation of any offence the member is accused of committing.
We also wish to state that there is nowhere in the world where a registered Civil Society Board of Trustees (BOT) would assume the role of managing the day-to-day affairs of the organisation, as they have no executive power to suspend a registered organization. Membership in KCSF is based on organisations, not individuals.
Amb. Ibrahim Waiya is a law-abiding and peaceful individual who fights for justice and treats issues with utmost decorum and fairness. Therefore, we wish to let the world know that the purported letter of suspension of Amb. Ibrahim Waiya holds no water, as the maliciously conceived action will be challenged in a court of law.
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