The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NPAN

  • We got no money unlawfully, says NPAN

    We got no money unlawfully, says NPAN

    THE Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) yesterday reacted again to the multi-million naira drama involving it and former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki with a clear message: it got no money unlawfully.

    In a statement by its Deputy President, Malam Kabiru Yusuf and General Secretary, Dame Comfort Obi, the association condemned the attempt to link it with “the alleged misdeeds of those who may have received huge sums of money from the office of the NSA”.

    It assured the public that “the fierce independence, diversity and forthrightness that have characterised the Nigerian press remain unshaken”.

    NPAN, during its expanded Executive Council meeting in Lagos on Thursday December 17, examined the issue of compensation to its members, whose newspapers were seized by security personnel in June last year.

     “The association was concerned by the insinuations, posturing and uninformed commentary on the matter and wishes, and out of respect to its readers and advertisers, will set the records straight.

     “Between Friday June 6 and Sunday June 8, 2014, some military officers and other security personnel impounded bundles of newspapers and circulation vans belonging to our members in Abuja, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Ekiti, Delta, Niger, Kogi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Imo and Enugu states, among others. In some of these locations, this illegal obstruction lasted five days.

    “By this unlawful seizure of newspapers, our members suffered huge losses in sales and advertising revenue and in business goodwill. Many of our members affected by this reckless assault considered resorting to the courts to seek redress.”

    It added that it was even more alarming when the military authorities claimed that they had intelligence report that newspaper vans were being used to ferry bomb-making materials, “an outrageous charge that seems to be a prelude to some sort of clampdown”.

    The statement continued that “Amidst this tension, and perhaps to stem the spate of multiple litigation against the security agencies and the Federal Government, former President Goodluck Jonathan held a meeting with the NPAN executives on June 12, 2014, at the State House, Marina, Lagos.

    “At this meeting, he apologised for the infraction of press freedom and the disruption of the business rhythm of our members.  This was well received by our members.”

    NPAN said in recognition of the President’s gesture, an NPAN executive officer, Lady Maiden Ibru, spoke in favour of the association dropping the demand for compensation, “but because some members wanted to seek redress in court, it was decided to pursue a civil resolution of the matter”.

    It continued: “The Federal Government and NPAN agreed to settle the matter out of court. In consequence of this, members were requested to submit a statement of their losses for consideration.”

    The statement said the claims by all active members were between a few hundred thousand and hundreds of millions of naira, but that with no way to verify the claims, NPAN accepted “a flat rate of N10 million to each of the 12 media houses affected. The total amount came to N120 million”.

    “Having suffered a lot of harassment during the military era, with some cases still winding their way through our courts, members agreed to a reasonable settlement over prolonged confrontation”.

    Most members collected the compensation in good faith, the statement said, while cheques for The Guardian, Tribune and Peoples Daily, are still at the NPAN Secretariat.

    It further explained that it had no reason to suspect any foul play from the NSA’s office.

    “Member-newspapers that received money could not have any suspicion why it was paid from the office of the former National Security Adviser since the onslaught on newspapers was carried out by the security forces over which the office of the NSA, to some extent, superintended.

    “It is unfortunate that some people not in possession of the full facts are seeking to link the NPAN with the alleged misdeeds of those who may have received huge sums of money from the office of the NSA unlawfully. Nothing can be further from the truth.”

  • Speak up, NPAN

    Speak up, NPAN

    •The association should clear its name from the arms funds mess

    When the watchdog becomes a dog to watch, it is a sad reflection of a dire decline in professionalism.  It is scandalous that media players have found themselves at the centre of a multi-billion arms scam that is still unravelling. The weighty allegations against Raymond Dokpesi, founder of DAAR Communications Plc, owners of African Independent Television (AIT) and Ray Power; and Thisday publisher Nduka Obaigbena, are sobering for an institution used to being the accuser rather than the accused.

    There was no way the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) would have reasonably looked on as the drama unfolded without speaking for professionalism, if it remained true to the essence of the media’s role in the society. So, it was appropriate that the NGE said in a statement after its 4th Quarterly Standing Committee meeting in Abuja on December 12: “The guild calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the involvement of some media executives in the payments from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA) in the interest of fairness and justice.”

    Curiously, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr said his father’s accusers were mistaken. According to him, the media chief received N2.1 billion from the former NSA in the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, Sambo Dasuki, but it was payment for media services “to promote and project the achievements and highlight the challenges of the Jonathan administration whilst demystifying false information gleefully circulated by the propaganda machinery of the then opposition party.”

    It may well be, as the Dokpesi family claimed, that the Jonathan administration structurally allowed the office of the NSA to accommodate “multiple budgetary sub-heads including for communication and information”.  In other words, the payment to Dokpesi from the NSA’s coffers may not necessarily have been a fraudulent diversion of public funds meant to fight terrorism. However, the structure that facilitated such suspicious payment to Dokpesi unarguably leaves several questions unanswered.

    On his part, Obaigbena said he got N550 million as compensation for the Boko Haram bombings of his newspaper’s offices in Abuja and Kaduna in April 2012. He added that as President of the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), he got N120 million as compensation for 12 newspaper companies whose copies were seized by soldiers in June 2014. The 12 were those that filed claims for compensation.  It is curious that investigators said these payments were made to General Hydrocarbons Limited controlled by Obaigbena for “energy consulting”. Even stranger are the denials by some of the affected newspapers whose officials claimed they never received any payment for compensation.

    The evidence of a fluid context where alleged media services are difficult to separate from the anti-terror war is the reason Dokpesi has questions to answer. It is also the reason Obaigbena has questions to answer. It is noteworthy that he issued a defensive statement from the US, saying: “We have never received any suspicious funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser. All funds received from the Office of the National Security Adviser were payments for compensation…”

    It is unclear to what extent the extension of the anti-terror war was due to fraud-related factors. But it is clear enough that the war effort was deliberately hampered by fraudulent activities. It is a shame that there is even a possibility, however slim, that media players helped to create an enabling environment for terrorists, wittingly or unwittingly, by their linkage with Dasuki.

    It is shocking that the NPAN has not deemed it fit to speak up to clear the air on the issues. We expect the association’s president to return to the country from his trip abroad to address the matter. And if he cannot for whatever reason, the body should take it upon itself to meet and let Nigerians know the true position of things. In saner climes, what has happened is enough to trigger ripples in the association. NPAN’s silence in the face of this mess is everything but golden. It should speak up!

     

  • NLC, NPAN, NPO, others condemn Social Media Bill

    NLC, NPAN, NPO, others condemn Social Media Bill

    Protesters storm National Assembly 

    Thousands of protesters stormed the National Assembly yesterday, demanding immediate withdrawal of the controversial bill pending in the Senate.

    The bill, popularly described as an “Anti-Social Media Bill”, attracted the protesters from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    The angry protesters, made up of coalition of civil societies organizations, said the bill would criminalise free speech in the country.

    The bill, they further said, was in direct contradiction of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Section 39(1) of the country’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    The protesters, in a letter to Senate President Bukola Saraki, warned that if the Senate continued with the bill, they would be forced to pressure the international community to impose travel ban on the Nigerian legislators.

    The protest letter was endorsed by Aisha Yesufu, Anthony Ehilebo, Ariyo Atoye, Mukhtar Dan ‘Iyan and Dr. Ahmad Isa on behalf of the civil societies.

    Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Shehu Sani, who addressed the protesters, received the letter on behalf of Saraki.

    Abaribe and Sani promised to communicate issues raised by the protesters to relevant committee

    THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and Nigerian Press Organisation as well as a coalition of civil society groups, comprising the Institute of Media and Society (IMESO), Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC), have condemned the proposed Social Media Bill, which is before the Senate.

    NLC, in a statement issued yesterday by its Acting President, Peters Adeyemi, said attempt by the Senate to gag Nigerians and prevent them from speaking their minds on issues was designed to scuttle the nation’s democratic governance.

    The congress said the bill, titled: “Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Related Matters Bill”, sponsored by Senator Ibn Na’Allah (All Progressives Congress, Kebbi South), was unacceptable to workers and should “not be allowed to see the light of day”.

    Adeyemi said the bill was a sad reminder of the military era when journalists were arrested for writing what the military junta considered spiteful.

    He added that it was contrary to the provisions of the constitution and other international conventions on free speech.

    The statement said: “The bill is coming at a time we expect our legislators and indeed, all Nigerians to recommit themselves to actions and legislations that can contribute to deepening democracy as well as fight against corruption in our country.

    “The bill, which proposes an option of N4 million as fine for those claimed to have made false newspaper, radio or television statements and N2 million for those claimed to have made false phone text messages or statements on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, or WhatsApp is a sad reminder of the military era, when journalists were mindlessly hurled into jail for writing what the military junta considered spiteful.

    “For us, we believe our legislators should know our country is in dire need of strong legislations on critical areas of our national life that demands speedy attention rather than concentrate on frivolous, uncivilised, image damaging debates on a bill that is obviously intended to circumscribe the rights of Nigerians to ask questions when their leaders engage in conducts that further injure our collective interests and image.”

    The NPAN and NPO, in a statement by their president, Nduka Obaigbena, urged the National Assembly to cease and desist from considering or  passing any laws seeking to abridge constitutionally  guaranteed  free speech.

    Obaigbena said such laws would “not only be unconstitutional, they undermine our system of democracy and the rights we all fought for”.

    He added: “We cannot because of a few irritations on the social media seek to clamp down on the rights of citizens to freely hold and share opinion on any platform.

    “We believe any untruths should be confronted by facts not laws, and indeed the Freedom of Information Act should be enhanced to promote more openness in governance.”

    A coalition called, comprising IMESO, MRA and IPC, in a statement, said they came to the conclusion that the bill constituted a threat to democracy because it seeks to repress the social media, the conventional media, the civil society and the citizenry as a whole.

    The statement reads: “In the light of all the pressing development challenges confronting the country, which should be the priorities of the senators and all other persons exercising any form of political power or authority, the PAMED is of the view that the bill itself is frivolous and unwarranted.

    “The bill, through its frivolous content and malicious intent, seeks to achieve nothing other than undermining freedom of expression, press freedom, public participation in governance and democracy.”

    The coalition said the only path of honour left for the Senate was to immediately and without any further ado drop the bill, “otherwise it would continue to bring upon itself more pubic odium, derision and protests”.

     

  • NPAN to Senate: Don’t consider anti-social media bill

    NPAN to Senate: Don’t consider anti-social media bill

    The attention of the NPAN has been drawn to a so called Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Matters Connected Therewith currently being considered in the Senate of The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The NPAN urges the National Assembly to cease and desist from considering or  passing any laws seeking to abridge constitutionally  guaranteed  free speech as such laws will not only be unconstitutional, they  undermine our system of democracy and the rights we all fought for.

    We cannot because of a few irritations on the social media seek to clamp down on the rights of citizens to freely hold and share opinion on any platform.

    We believe any untruths should be confronted by facts not laws, and indeed the Freedom of Information Act should be enhanced to promote more openness in governance.

    Very many thanks

     

    NDUKA OBAIGBENA

    President NPAN.

    President NPO.

     

  • NPAN: polls must hold

    NPAN: polls must hold

    The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) yesterday asked the Federal Government to ensure that the general elections hold on March 28 and April 11.

    It also said the polls must be  free and  fair,  with an outcome which will deepen the nation’s democracy.

    It pleaded with Nigerians to eschew any form of violence during and after the polls.

    The newspaper proprietors made their position known in a communique  after deliberations at the Extra- Ordinary Meeting of NPAN in Abuja, which was hosted by Media Trust Limited.

    The communique, signed by NPAN President, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, reads: “The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria( NPAN) on March 17th , 2015 held an Extra-Ordinary Meeting in Abuja. After exhaustive deliberations, and review of the political situation in Nigeria, the NPAN unanimously agreed as follows:

    “The general election must hold on March 28th and April 11th as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC).

    “The election must produce an outcome and Nigerians must rally around whoever emerges the winner.”

    NPAN advised the government to ensure the conduct of the general election in such a way that it will deepen the nation’s democracy.

    The association added: “These elections are for and by the Nigerian people and they must be free, fair and held in such a way that they will deepen the nation’s democracy such that at the end of the electoral process, Nigeria must be the winner.

    “We call on the people of Nigeria, especially political leaders across the nation, to eschew every form of violence.

    “The prevalent do-or-die attitude is unnecessary, unhelpful and unhealthy for our system of democracy. We must all say no to violence before, during and after the elections.”

    Those at the meeting also included the Deputy President of NPAN, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf, the Publisher of Vanguard Press Limited, Sir, Sam Amuka Pemu, a former President of NPAN, Ray Ekpu; the representative of The Guardian Publisher, Toke Ibru; the Publisher of Blueprint Newspaper, Alh. Idris Mohammed; a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Gbenga Adefaye; John Osadolor( Business Day) the Editor-In-Chief of Media Trust Limited, Mallam Mannir and the representative of the publisher of The Nation, Yusuf Alli among others.

  • NPAN expresses shock over media raid

    NPAN expresses shock over media raid

    The Newspapers Proprietors Association Of Nigeria (NPAN) yesterday  expressed disappointment at the disruption of newspaper circulation in the country by soldiers under the guise of searching for bombs.

    The NPAN at an emergency meeting in Abuja  scoffed at the reasons given by the Defence Headquarters for the assault on the media  and said it  does not   believe that  “given the already tense situation in the country the government or any agency acting in its name, will engage in acts that can only stifle free speech and encourage rumours to fester.”

    President of NPAN, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, in a statement last night, said: “Following the harassment of newspaper vendors/distributors and the seizure of large volumes of newspapers by soldiers who initially targeted the following newspapers: Leadership, Daily Trust, The Nation and Punch, but later extended the siege to all major newspapers in the country for the second day today, the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) held an emergency meeting in Abuja on June 7, 2014 with representatives of vendors and distributors and resolved as follows:

    “1. The NPAN unequivocally condemns this attack of FREE SPEECH by soldiers, in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Jos, Maiduguri, Ibadan amongst other cities, claiming to be acting on “orders”. This assault on FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION through the stoppage of distribution of newspapers is inconsistent with the values of any democratic society and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We therefore call upon the military authorities to lift the siege immediately and call the soldiers to order.

    “2. The NPAN notes the statement issued on Thursday, June 6, by the Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, that newspaper distribution channels may have been infiltrated by some persons to transport “materials with grave security implications.” As citizens and businesses, we take the security of our nation very seriously, and especially condemn the continuing daily destruction of human life by a mindless, cruel and criminal insurgency. We have, at our own instance, engaged various security agencies in the past to find ways of dealing with the security challenges we all face. We shall continue to do so. It is, however, deeply troubling that a siege has been laid to the media for two straight days on a suspicion over which no one consulted the NPAN. We stand ready, able and willing to work with all relevant security agencies to ensure the integrity of the newspapers’ distribution process.

    “3. The NPAN wishes to reassure its readers, partners and the public at large, that it will continue to work to promote peace and unity in The Federal Republic of Nigeria, while defending its constitutional role to hold governments at all levels accountable.

    “4. Finally, we do not believe that given the already tense situation in the country the government or any agency acting in its name, will engage in acts that can only stifle free speech and encourage rumors to fester. We, therefore, welcome the assurances to NPAN leadership by senior security officials to end this unnecessary siege.”

  • NPAN urges court to void APCON’s law on advertisement vetting

    The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has questioned the propriety of some provisions of a law by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) requiring media establishments to submit advertisements for vetting by the council.

    NPAN, in a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos argued that the provisions contained in Article 21 and 137 of the Nigerian Code of Advertising and Sales Promotion (NCASP) are inconsistent with the provisions of Section 39 of the Constitution guaranteeing the freedom of expression and to hold opinion.

    The association urged the court to void the provisions in the suit initiated by its registered trustees via the originating summons, and in which it raised three questions for the court’s determination and prayed it for five reliefs.

    They include a declaration that APCON, under its Establishment Act, Sap A7 Laws of the Federation 2004, lacked the powers to create offences and impose penalties as contained in Article 137 (a) (b) and (c) of the NCASP, a declaration that should void the provisions and render them unconstitutional.

    The plaintiff is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining APCON from treating or continuing to treat Article 21 and 137 of NCASP as valid, and restraining the defendants and their agents from applying the provisions of Articles 27 and 137 (a), (b) and (c) of NCASP.

    NPAN also prayed the court to declare that the Articles 27 and 137 are ultra vires as they relate to its (NPAN’s) members and a declaration that Article 21 is unconstitutional in that it violates Section 39 of the Constitution.

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) is named with APCON as defendants in the suit marked: FHC/L/CS/1067/2012.

    NPAN’s General-Secretary, Comfort Obi, said in a supporting affidavit that the suit was informed by the recent invitation and interrogation of the officials of two of its 24 members – Leadership and Vanguard newspapers – by the police, who claimed to be acting on the complaints by APCON, purportedly acting on the said provisions of NCASP.

    She believed APCON lacked the powers “to regulate the activities of members of the plaintiff or their employees who are not registered members of APCON or practising advertising. I also believe that the provisions of Articles 21 and 137 of the code are inconsistent with Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

    Comfort argued that it was in consonance with the provision of the Constitution should the plaintiff’s prayers be granted.