Chief Obi Iyiegbu known as Obi Cubana under the business trade name Cubana Group has dismissed media reports attempting to link his 2021 trade visit to Liberia with recent allegations against former Liberian Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor, describing the attempt as unfair and misleading.
In a statement issued on Sunday, his hospitality and entertainment conglomerate Cubana Group said the October 2021 visit to Monrovia was an openly conducted investment mission focused on exploring opportunities in tourism, real estate, agriculture and hospitality. The delegation, which included Cubana Group Chairman Chief Obinna Iyiegbu (Obi Cubana), met with Howard-Taylor while she was the sitting Vice-President of Liberia, which the group described as a routine engagement with a public official during a legitimate business trip.
The group noted that photographs and details of the meeting were publicly circulated at the time and that contemporary reports confirmed the visit was part of a broader Nigerian trade mission. It also pointed out that Howard-Taylor herself later publicly stated that Iyiegbu was in Liberia to seek business opportunities in the tourism sector and that her role was to showcase the country’s investment potential.
Cubana Group stressed that it cannot be held responsible for allegations that emerged against the former Vice-President five years after their engagement, adding that nothing in the media reports establishes any connection between the group, its chairman or the trade mission and the current allegations against Howard-Taylor. It rejected what it called “guilt by association” and urged the public to evaluate the visit based on facts rather than speculation.
The company maintained that its chairman routinely engages government officials and investors across Africa and beyond, citing recent business trips to Canada and the United Kingdom as part of its commitment to cross-border investment and youth development. It insisted that such engagements are not secret and remain a normal part of doing business.
“Business engagement cannot be retrospectively criminalised by association,” the group said, adding that if authorities establish wrongdoing against any individual, it should be determined through due process and not by casting suspicion on those who legitimately interacted with that person years earlier.
Cubana Group reaffirmed its dedication to legitimate enterprise, job creation and African economic development, and said its chairman would continue to pursue investment opportunities wherever they exist.
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