The Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, has declared as “illegal”, the registration of a factional All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, led by a certain Alhaji Umar Farouk, earlier registered with it.
The Commission had inadvertently registered the factional association after a disagreement that led to his leaving the body led by Arc Kabir Ibrahim in 2016.
The CAC, in a letter to dated June 22, 2020 signed by Leticia Modey on behalf of the Regiistrar- General, reads and addressed to AFAN, Kano branch, read in part:
“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.”
The CAC directed Farouk and others acting as trustees of the illegally registered body, to change its name to one 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) as amended.
“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 further reads.
Arc Kabir Ibrahim, who is the National President of AFAN, had earlier called that Farouk be prosecuted for the illegal action.
“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.
“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,” he had posited.
AFAN has registered members across the 774 local government areas and six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
According to Arc Ibrahim, Farouk lost Kano chapter election to Alhaji Abdurrashid Magaji Rimingado in July, 2016, after which he registered AFAN Kano State Chapter with registration number RC 93484 dated 22nd December, 2016.
The chapter had trustees as: 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,” Ibrahim explained.
AFAN had recently written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari drawing his attention to the negative role of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, 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.
“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,” part of the open letter reads.
