Bullets directors asked not to double roles
Three Nyasa Big Bullets board members have been asked to choose between serving on the club’s board of directors and the task force to avoid conflict of interest.
The task force was set up to ensure that conditions for the club’s takeover by sponsor Nyasa Manufacturing Company (NMC) are being adhered to.
The trio, Stone Mwamadi, Albert Chigoga and Chifundo Makande have been asked to make a decision before the task force meets on Saturday to review the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which the club signed with NMC.
Task force Jim Kalua member, who is also the team’s former board of trustees secretary, said the trio cannot belong to the two bodies.
He said: “As a task force, we felt their independence will be compromised and, as such, they have to decide either to belong to the board or the task force.”
Kalua also said only former club chairperson Noel Lipipa will be allowed to double roles because he heads the task force.
He said the move has been taken because the task force wants to step its drive in taking stock of NMC’s adherence to MoU which was signed three years ago.
Said Kalua: “We are planning to meet on Saturday and among other issues, we want to relook the terms of reference of the task force.
“Some of us are not comfortable working with people who are in the task force, but are also in the board, it just isn’t right.”
He also defended the move to take stock of the MoU, saying after three years, it is the right time to do so.
“NMC made a number of commitments such as building club houses [in all the three regions], constructing a stadium, buying a proper team bus, setting up an academy, inheriting and settling debts as well as setting up an academy and apart from, settling the debts, most of the things have not been done and time is running out. So, we want to engage them [NMC] on the way forward.”
However, Mwamadi, who is the director responsible for supporters, said the task force has no powers to ask them to choose which body to belong to.
“Some of us have been asking the same task force members to call for a meeting, but they were not forthcoming. So, why now? Why has it taken them three years to realise the need to follow up on the MoU? I do not think they are doing it in good faith,” he said.
On his part, Chigoga said: “From the governance viewpoint, one would consider such opinion [that we should choose to belong to one body] as imperative.”
Makande was not available for comment.
Last week, the club’s chief executive officer Escort Chinula said NMC is committed to fulfiling its obligations and that the board will meet within the week to map the way forward.
