The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria on Saturday rose in stout defence of its Chairman and Publisher of ThisDay newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena, over the position of some media houses that they did not benefit from the N120 million collected on their behalf from a former National Security Adviser, retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki.
The media houses – Tribune, New Telegraph and People’s Daily – had said they did not benefit from the N120 million, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said was part of a $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms to combat Boko Haram.
The EFCC had traced N670 million of the money to Obaigbena who in turn explained that N550 million of the amount was compensation for the bombing of the ThisDay building in Abuja by Boko Haram and the remaining N120 million for 12 media houses whose newspapers were seized by the military.
However, three of the newspapers in Friday said they did not receive the payment, despite being listed by Obaigbena, while some acknowledged receipt of N9 million each.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Secretary of NPAN, Feyi Smith, said it was agreed that N9 million would be released to each media house involved, while the remaining N1 million would be left in the association’s purse for its running.
On those who did not receive the money at all, Smith said the payment for Tribune and People’s Daily was waiting in the office, while that of New Telegraph was used to pay Blueprint, which showed up after the collation of names of newspapers affected by the seizure of copies by soldiers.
Smith wrote in the statement: “Our attention has been drawn to statements issued last night by the Nigerian Tribune, Peoples’ Daily and New Telegraph Newspapers claiming that they did not receive the compensation for the military disruption of circulation of newspapers by the Federal Government.
“It should be recalled that the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) Executive Council meeting of March 17, 2015, held at the offices of Daily Trust, Abuja, resolved to accept the N120million compensation and passed two other resolutions thereto:
“(1) that each member- organisation accepts to donate N1million from the compensation to the Association for the up-keep of the Secretariat;
“(2) that members should bring their membership account current, by paying all past dues to the Secretariat before collecting their cheques.
“The cheques for the Nigerian Tribune and Peoples’ Daily remain in the Secretariat awaiting collection.
“In the case of New Telegraph, the Secretariat was confronted with a situation where 13 Newspapers made claims while compensation for 12 newspapers was made. Blueprint Newspapers which was inadvertently omitted from the list has since been been paid.
“When New Telegraph now demanded payment that had been collected by Blueprint Newspapers, the secretariat then brought the matter to the attention of the of the President, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, who then called Governor Orji Kalu, the Publisher of both the Sun Newspapers (who had been paid) and the New Telegraph (which has not been paid), to urge him to be patient for the matter to be tabled at the next Executive Council meeting, where he would seek the approval of the EXCO to take the funds earmarked for the Secretariat to pay them.”