Eke Eleanya Urum, the founder and CEO of Nigeria-based stock investment app, Risevest, has been asked to step down from his role due to ongoing investigations into allegations of sexual and non-sexual assaults.
In a release made available to Freelanews, the company claimed that an independent investigation is being conducted to ascertain the truth of these allegations regardless of Urum’s decision.
“In light of allegations of abuse of power and sexual impropriety, Eke Urum willingly agreed to step aside as CEO of Risevest as of August 3 2022 to allow for a 6-week investigation, set up by Risevest’s investors, to run its course.
“We are committed to getting to the root of the matter and have launched a formal investigation to achieve this. The situation is being handled with utmost transparency through an independent panel with no affiliation to employees of Risevest,” it read.
However, Risevest assured its stakeholders and the general public that it would continue to operate optimally as a company, and its customers will continue to enjoy the highest quality of services and support.
Regarding the allegations, the company claimed investors have set up an independent investigation panel to look extensively into the allegations and the members included Tomi Davies of TVC Labs as chairman, Odunoluwa Longe of TLP Advisory as legal adviser and Toun Tunde-Anjous of The People Practice as People and Culture Adviser.
As it standds, the Head of Operations and co-founder, Tony Odiba, has been saddled with the duty of piloting the company as acting CEO, while Otasowie Evbuomwan still retains lead seat in the company’s operations in United States.
It’s worthy to note that Odiba has been with Risevest since its inception.
“Findings of the investigation will be made known within two weeks of the conclusion of the investigation process. Risevest’s operations and investment processes do not rely on any single individual and are completely unaffected by any of these circumstances. Our team continues to manage all investments and operations as usual,” the company boasted.
Risevest claimed it has zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, and misconduct and is committed to establishing the truth of this matter while also reviewing policies to ensure a safer workplace.
Pundits believe it is a smart move to by the company to avoid panic from the investors, which would have adverse effect on its company’s integrity.
“Risevest quickly pushed out the release in order to somehow control the narrative as any wrong leak in the media could lead to a great loss the company may never recover from,” an investor and industry watcher said.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
