A governorship aspirant in the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial election, Asue Ighodalo, has resigned as the chairman of the board of directors of the Nigerian Breweries Plc.
The company secretary, Uaboi Agbebaku, also said there were changes in its board of directors after the board meeting on December 7, 2023.
Agbebaku said the resignation of Ighodalo, who hopes to clinch the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will take effect at the end of the year.
He added that Sijbe Hiemstra will become the interim chairman.
Agbebaku said: “The chairman informed the board today of his decision to offer himself for public service.
“As a result, he will be resigning from the Board and as the chairman of the board on the 31st of December 2023 to enable him devote his full attention to the new cause.
“To give the board enough time to appoint a substantive chairman, the longest serving director, Mr. Sijbe “Siep” Hiemstra, was appointed to act as the chairman in the interim effective the 1″ of January 2024.”
Nigerian Breweries said during the transition period, Hiemstra will steer the affairs of the board and oversee the process of appointing a substantive chairman.
Before his appointment, Hiemstra was a member of Nigerian Breweries’ governance committee and also served on the company’s statutory audit committee.
“He joined the board on the 1 of August 2011 and is a past Heineken Regional President for Africa and Middle East,” the company said.
The Editor Nigeria understands that Ighodalo is allegedly the favoured aspirant by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to replace him.
Meanwhile, Nigerian Breweries also announced that Ndidi Nwuneli notified the board of stepping down from her position as an independent non-executive director.
According to the company, Nwuneli, who served a 9-year tenure, will leave by December 31, 2023.
The board of directors appointed Stella Ojekwe-Onyejeli as an independent non-executive director to fill the vacant position.
“Ojekwe-Onyejeli brings to the Board years of experience as a risk manager with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry, and skilled in enterprise risk management, business planning, internal audit, and analytical skills,” Nigerian Breweries said.
“She currently serves on the boards of Coronation Insurance Plc and Rand Merchant Bank, amongst others. The company is pleased to have someone with her knowledge and experience join its board.”
