—————establishment is still 100 percent owned by the state government
By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
The Edo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Edo state Governor Godwin Obaseki of selling off the state owned newspaper .Nigerian Observer to his cronies under a dubious Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
Briefing newsmen in Benin City, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo state Chapter, Col. David Imuse (rtd) said the state has been brutalized in the last 6 years of the fractional PDP Government led by Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
The APC chairman who lamented that the state owned Nigerian Observer Newspaper have not only been sold to the governor’s cronies said the Obaseki led government was concealing the fact about the position of the Newspaper.
“After failing to set up a Board of Directors for the Newspaper in a record six years, Governor Obaseki closed it down in June 2022, promising to reopen it under one month after restructuring it. But in the last four months, Governor Obaseki has not only autioned it’s press, he has deployed all its staff to various Ministries, turned the Newspaper into an online medium and renamed it ‘ECHO’.
” He also demolished sections of the Newspaper office complex, occupied since 1968, imported a moribund and non-functional printing press with billions of Naira and employed a private individual who has employed a new set of staffs, as Consultant.The truth is Mr. Obaseki has sold the Nigerian Observer to his cronies under a dubious PPP arrangement that will die a natural death soon.” Imuse said.
In a swift reaction, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, the State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation dismissed the allegation noting that the establishment is still 100 percent owned by the state government
The state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation added that Edo state government was reorganising the Nigerian Observer Newspaper and giving out to new management in order to make it competitive with other private media outfits in the country.
According to him, while the revitalization and the ultramodern building of the company was taking place, government decided to bring in a strong management teams to build it, revitalize it and to maintain the brand.
“The govt has invested heavily to make Observer a competitive newspapers like Vanguard, ThisDay, Guardian and others.
“The company is owned 100 percent by the state government .
“The Nigerian Observer Newspaper is now wearing a completely new look of modern architectural edifices, equipped with state of art facilities to discharge optimal services in a very competitive media industry.” Nehikhare said.