Africa-Press – Nigeria. Chairman of DAAR Communications, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr, has said he has no regrets for implementing a management shake-up that led to the exit of long serving Group Managing Director, GMD, Chief Tony Akiotu.
Akiotu, who became GMD of DAAR Communications in 2010, left in 2024 following the shake-up carried out by Dokpesi Jnr following the passing of his father, DAAR Communications founder, Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi Snr, in 2023.
Interestingly, Dokpesi Jnr is contesting against Akiotu in the election for the Chairmanship of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, BON.
Speaking on issues surrounding the shake-up, ahead of the BON election which comes up this year, Dokpesi Jnr appreciated Akiotu for his work at DAAR Communications. But he also insisted that changing the Akiotu-led management was the right decision.
Dokpesi Jnr also reacted to reports that the exit of the former management staff was not handled amicably.
Narrating circumstances that surrounded the decision, Dokpesi Jnr said, “High Chief Tony Akiotu spent a long time at DAAR Communications and he has contributed immensely to the growth and development of the organization. As an individual and as a professional, I have a lot of respect for him and I wouldn’t want the BON election to escalate or create more tensions than necessary.
“But to put certain things into context, a number of things happened immediately after the passing of my dad, which kind of set the tone for how other things happened.”
He explained that he was on his way back to Abuja from Benin, where he had gone to inform the monarch of the passing of his father, who was a ranking member of the palace, when he got wind of an unauthorized emergency meeting of the DAAR Communications board, convened by the then company secretary.
“I was shocked on my way back to discover that the company secretary at that time has called for an emergency board meeting. Ordinarily after the passing of a founder like that, it is normal to have an emergency meeting so that as an organization we address how we move on. But these things do not happen in a vacuum or without the knowledge of the chairman. It is the chairman who calls the board meeting and sets the agenda for such a meeting, not the company secretary.
“So when such a meeting was called without my knowledge, it necessitated a threat to petition against the board and management to several authorities and stakeholders who I wouldn’t want to mention by name, to intervene.
“I will not deny that Chief Tony Akiotu has already spent about 15 years as MD of DAAR Communications and his tenure was actually due.
“Due to the sudden passing of my dad and to ensure stability, if I am to remove them immediately, it will be misinterpreted that I am acting emotionally. So it took well over a year – 14 months after my dad passed on – to finalize the exit. It is true that the old management was not all that keen and ready to exit the picture at that time. I would not say they needed to be coerced because the law was clear. But some action had to be taken to make the board of the company to implement the code of corporate governance of the company and limit the tenure of the management members and the board. So the context in which some of the management staff left the company might have left a sour taste in their mouths,” he said.
Dokpesi Jnr noted that the former management accumulated salary arrears for the company and also presided over a decline in revenue and share prices.
He added, “They were in the driving seat for 15 years when they built up salary arrears running into billions. I felt it would be suicidal for me to say I want to continue in this trajectory, so something needed to give and unfortunately, or fortunately, as the case might be, since the decision was taken, we have made slow but steady progress in stabilizing the affairs of the company. We are making progress.
“I would continuously apologize to Chief Tony Akiotu and the exited management staff for whatever feelings they might have that we offended them by the way things turned out, but without regrets I believe it is the right decision.”
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