Leadership crisis hits Scout association

From Tony Osauzo and Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

The National Scout Association is enmeshed crisis as a group of members are claiming to be the leaders of the association, an action that has been described as illegal and complete disregard to the directive of the World Organisation of Scout Movement (WOSM), the umbrella body of associations.

Consequently, the South-South leadership of the scout movement, yesterday, in Benin City, denounced the claims of a parallel with the Edo State chapter announcing that a legal action has been instituted against those claiming to be the leaders contrary to the directive of the WOSM.

Addressing a press conference at the State Secretariat of the Edo State Scout Council, the Edo State Commissioner, who is also the chairman of the South-South State Commissioners of Scout, Emmanuel Eseine, said those claiming to be the leaders should have a rethink and not derail the association from its core agenda of moulding the character of young boys and girls.

He said the group led by one Olusoga Sofolohan acted contrary to the constitution of the association by organising an unauthorised Annual General Meeting (AGM) where they purportedly emerged as leaders despite directives from the WOSM to halt the meeting while investigation was launched into the allegations they raised against the former leadership of the association that emerged in Benue State.

“While the outcome of the Benue AGM is kept in abeyance in total regard to the directives of WOSM, the national leadership is compelled back to status quo till there is news from Kuala Lumpur, the world operational Centre of WOSM in Malaysia. Without regards to WOSM, they quickly arranged a kangaroo election with only nine states in attendance and gave positions to themselves and their cronies, who in turn went about to place suspension on state commissioners not in tune with their shady deals.”

Flanked by the chairman of the Scout Councils from Delta State, Agbagoro Landlord-Lawrence and his Bayelsa State counterpart, Williie Austin, Eseine added: “The Conference of State Scout Commissioners South-South zone totally condemn those impostors, impersonators claiming they are today the National leaders of the association. We do not have anything to do with them because they operate in total disobedience to the principles, rules, ethics, belief and conduct of Scouting. A Scout obeys orders-rule No.7.”