A corporate governance crisis has engulfed Premiere, a Nigerian investment migration and dual-passport company, after its Chief Executive Officer, Jane Kimemia-Nechi, was removed from her position and subsequently arraigned before a Lagos magistrate court over an ownership dispute, sources familiar with the matter said.
Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi, a Zimbabwean national and wife of Franklin Nechi, the chairman of rival investment migration firm Optiva Capital Partners, was sacked by Premiere’s board following allegations that she acted against the company’s commercial interests, two sources who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter told Quick News Africa.
The dispute centres on claims by Premiere’s founder and chairman, Chief Austin Albert, that Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi used her position as CEO to benefit Optiva Capital Partners — the firm previously associated with her husband — at Premiere’s expense.
DUBAI PROPERTY PARTNERSHIP AT HEART OF DISPUTE
The most serious allegation against Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi relates to the company’s exclusive marketing arrangement with Binghatti Properties, a Dubai-based real estate developer. Sources alleged that she attempted to extend Premiere’s privileged access to the Binghatti partnership to Optiva Capital Partners, a move the board characterised as a material breach of fiduciary duty.
Premiere Loft and Keys, the parent shareholder of Premiere, holds exclusive rights to market Binghatti properties in Nigeria, according to information gathered by this correspondent. Any unauthorised extension of that arrangement to a competitor would represent a significant commercial loss.
Board members and senior management reportedly accused Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi of operating as an intelligence conduit for Optiva Capital, the investment immigration company where she served as CEO until her removal from that position last year.
IGBOSERE ARRAIGNMENT
The escalating boardroom tensions culminated in legal action, resulting in the arraignment of Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi at the Igbosere Magistrate Court in Lagos. Details of the specific charges were not immediately available, and the court’s registry had not responded to a request for comment at the time of filing this report.
In a countermove, Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi has also filed a separate suit in court seeking a judicial declaration that she holds rightful ownership of the company, according to sources briefed on the proceedings. The filing signals that the dispute is likely to intensify as both parties pursue parallel legal strategies.
PRIOR REMOVAL FROM OPTIVA CAPITAL
Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi’s tenure at Premiere came after a contentious departure from Optiva Capital Partners, the firm controlled by her husband, Franklin Nechi.
According to sources, she was removed from her position at Optiva Capital following investigations by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). At the height of that crisis, she was said to have declined a request by the company’s management to represent Optiva Capital before the EFCC — a refusal that reportedly contributed to her exit from the firm.
STAFF DIVIDED, OFFICES CLOSED
The governance crisis has created visible fault lines within Premiere’s workforce. Staff members are reportedly divided between those loyal to Chairman Albert and those aligned with the now-removed CEO. Some employees, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Mrs. Kimemia-Nechi’s leadership style as having contributed to internal divisions.
The company’s Lagos offices have reportedly remained shut since the crisis intensified, with management directing employees to work remotely, according to two staff members who spoke to this correspondent.
Videos and internal communications reviewed by Quick News Africa suggest tensions within the company have been building for several weeks before the situation reached a legal threshold.
REGULATORY AND INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS
The dispute is being watched closely within Nigeria’s investment migration industry, a sector that has expanded significantly in recent years as wealthy Nigerians seek second citizenship and residency options abroad, particularly in the Caribbean, Europe, and the Gulf region.
Analysts note that boardroom instability in companies handling sensitive financial transactions and client immigration data carries reputational risks that could affect customer confidence.
Legal proceedings in both the ownership declaration suit and the criminal arraignment are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
