We Wrote 3 Letters For Our N10m Share Of The Compensation, Got Nothing From Obaigbena Says New Telegraph

The management of New Telegraph Newspapers has expressed shock over its inclusion on the list of media houses that THISDAY Publisher and President, Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) claimed he paid N10 million each to from funds he received from the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), as compensation for the illegal seizure of some newspapers by the mili­tary during the adminis­tration of former Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan.

A statement signed by the MD/EIC of New Telegraph, Mrs Funke Egbemode said “It is on record that following the decision of NPAN to seek compensation from the Fed­eral Government in the after­math of the seizure of editions of newspapers by the military, New Telegraph computed its losses, which were passed to the association. However, since then, the company has heard nothing from the asso­ciation on the matter.”

She further disclosed that “Following a report that NPAN has begun paying N9 million (not N10 million as contained in the report that has gone viral on the inter­net), the management of Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited, publish­ers of New Telegraph, Sat­urday Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, has written three letters to NPAN for its share of the compensation; but re­grettably, as at this moment, not even a kobo has been re­ceived.

“The first letter was written on May 22, 2015 followed by another on July 16, 2015 with a reminder written on November 19, 2015.

“Therefore, it is noth­ing but sheer falsehood for the NPAN president, who claimed he received the money on behalf of the as­sociation, to have included New Telegraph Newspapers as one of the beneficiaries of the funds, which as it has now emerged, was disbursed by the former NSA.”

Meanwhile, two other national newspapers; the Ni­gerian Tribune and Peoples Daily have denied collecting any kobo from the NSA’s of­fice through Mr Obaigbena.

The two newspapers in separate statements released yesterday said they were shocked to find their names listed as some of the media houses that were paid for losses incurred as a result of the action by the military to seize copies of some newspa­pers and block their circula­tion nationwide.