- Say 102 staff died in waiting
- Compel northern governors to respect VP Shettima’s directive
- Give management a 14-day ultimatum to clear entitlements
From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The laid-off staff of the comatose New Nigerian Newspapers (NNN) headquartered in Kaduna on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest over non-payment of their entitlements by the northern governors who own the once-strong media outfit.
According to the protesters, it was learned in good authority that those in charge have successfully disposed some of the landed assets of NNN to the tune of N2.7 billion which is supposed to have been used to clear their entitlements over the years.
The physically and emotionally angry protesters were seen with placards with varying inscriptions like: “We are not slaves to have served for years without pay”, “Property disposed committee has a skeleton in its cupboard”, “All assets sold and monies vanished” “Our members are dying, our children cannot feed” among others.
Amos Mathew and Nicholas Dekera; Chairman and Secretary of the Press Conference respectively told journalists at the premises of the NNN that, it has gotten to a point where the World and the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and other stakeholders know what was happening to one of the Late Northern Premier, Sir Ahmadu Ballo (Sardauna) left behind.
“Our plight began after the Federal Government handed over the New Nigerian Newspapers to Northern Governors with the backlog of Pension and salary arrears.
“However, Northern Governors Headed by the then Chairman who is now Nigeria’s Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima at a Northern Governors Forum on Friday, 29th. April 2016 at General Hassan Usman Katsina House, Kawo Kaduna approved Public Private Partnership (PPP) and splitting the company into three which include Newspaper production, printing, and publishing in commercial quantities and commercial properties.
“Shettima also approved total liquidation of the company and all its landed properties across the country to settle its liabilities once and for all.
“Pursuant to the aforementioned, a Committee was Set up with its membership drawn from Northern Capital Properties Limited (NCPL), New Nigerian Newspaper management, EFCC, and Office of the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government (SSG) which commenced the sale of NNN property immediately.
“To fast track the process for payment of workers’ benefits, the former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai facilitated the payment and liquidation of all outstanding pensions and gratuities of all Federal Government Workers under New Nigeria Newspapers by Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in December 2021. One would have expected that the burden would become less but a litany of agony ensued.
“Surprisingly NNN management and the committee that turned deaf ears to Northern Governors’ directives to pay workers went ahead to expressly spend about N200 Million on contractors and other unknown expenditures out of the money realised without paying a penny to Workers”, they alleged in a jointly signed press text.
According to Dekera, “102 of our members have died while waiting for these benefits, some bedridden, some chased out of their rented apartments while a good number of us can’t feed properly’.
Dekera recalled that in October 2022, the former SSG, Kaduna State, Balarabe Abbas Lawal now Minister for Environment approved 3-month in-lieu notice payment for all in-house staff who were laid off at that time this again was abandoned, and no single penny was paid.
As of today, he said, “more than 90 percent of the properties have been sold and over 2.7 billion naira realised (with some of these properties fully acquired and renovation works commenced.
“A very good example is the popular 10-storey Nagwamatse House in the heart of Kaduna city) the proceeds of which were allegedly deposited into the same bank account claimed to have been garnished”.
The protesters however called on the Northern Governors’ Forum to compel the management of New Nigeria Newspapers headed by Mr. Yusuf Musa Kontagora to immediately pay all NNN workers all entitlements without any further delays just as they gave the Management of NNN and the committee a 14+day ultimatum to pay up or face more protests from workers.