N2.1bn Entitlements: NNN Workers Give Northern Govs 14-day Ultimatum

 

The staff and pensioners of New Nigerian Newspapers have given the Northern Governors’ Forum 14-day ultimatum to pay their N2.1 billion entitlements.

Reading the text of the press conference jointly signed by the chairman and secretary of NNN Press Committee,  Elder Amos Matthew and Comrade Nicholas Dekera respectively, they said over 90 percent of the property have been sold and over N2.7 billion realised.

It recalled that in 2023 after PTAD verified and begun payment of monthly pension, the duo of Barrister Iweka and Idi Sule returned to court over an initial out-of-court settlement item - check-up dues.

The duo recalled that the Federal High Court in May 2022 garnished the GT Bank account number 0605091406 with account name “New Capital Properties Ltd '' where all the monies realised from the sales of the property was lodged.

"The garnishee was vacated, but again the management and the committee failed to pay workers’ benefits even with express orders from the former Kaduna SSG to present documents for onward approval and payments.

"On July 14, 2022, a second garnishee was served on the same account however, the Claimant counsel before the honorable judge confirmed that there was only N20 million in the garnished account whereas the total lodgment as at that time was over N700 million. Questions on what happened to the balance, who withdrew the money and for what purpose was the money withdrawn for was never answered by the committee and the NNN management, " it stated.

“The northern governors headed by the then chairman who is now Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima at a Northern Governors Forum on Friday, 29th April, 2016, at General Hassan Usman Katsina House, Kawo, Kaduna, approved that public private partnership and splitting the company into three, which include Newspaper production, printing and publishing in commercial quantities and commercial properties and total liquidation of the company and all its landed property across the country to settle its liabilities once and for all."

The congress called on Shettima, the Northern Governors Forum and the management of NNN to pay the workers all their entitlements without further delay, threatening to occupy all sold property after the 14-day ultimatum.