Punch Suspends its Membership of NPAN with Immediate Effect...See Shocking Details
The
Punch Nigeria has suspended its membership of the Nigerian Newspaper
Proprietors Association of Nigeria with immediate effect over the
controversy on the Sambo Dasuki case.
PUNCH Nigeria Limited has suspended its membership of the Newspaper
Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria. The company communicated the
decision to the NPAN in a letter dated Thursday, December 17, 2015 and
signed by its Chairman, Mr. Wale Aboderin.
"After a careful review of recent, and still unfolding,
developments, Punch Nigeria Limited is suspending its membership of the
Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria until further notice. This
suspension takes effect immediately.
The public will recall the criminal charges levelled against a
former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and several other
alleged accomplices. These charges border on the diversion of public
funds, totalling $2.1 billion, allocated for the purchase of arms to
prosecute the war against terrorism.
The revelations indicate that the sum of N120 million was disbursed
in murky circumstances to some member-companies of NPAN, ostensibly as
compensation for the losses they incurred in June 2014 when armed
soldiers seized newspapers and newspaper distribution vans.
The source of this money and the manner of its receipt, allegedly
through a company called General Hydrocarbons, which is unknown to NPAN,
have raised public concerns about the integrity of the Press in
Nigeria. The unfolding scandal has equally cast a shadow on the
reputation of the mass media.
At PUNCH, we have always held that state-sponsored attacks against
the media should be challenged in the open, boldly and vigorously. It
was for this reason that we instituted an action against the Federal
Government at the Federal High Court, Lagos, on June 13, 1994. Among
other reliefs, the company sought compensation for the June 11, 1994
invasion of our premises by a combined team of policemen and State
Security Service agents who shut down our operations and detained our
staff.
Suffice to say that the case is currently at the Supreme Court
where the Federal Government is seeking to overturn the judgment of
Justice T.A. Odunowo, who declared the invasion illegal and awarded
PUNCH the sum of N25m in damages.
Our long-held position is that the relationship between an
independent press association and the government should be properly
defined to preserve, at all times, the independence of the press and the
sacred duty of the mass media as the watchdog of society. This informed
our decision to promptly refuse to file any backdoor claim for
compensation for the losses we incurred during the military assault of
June 2014.
PUNCH’s reputation, integrity, independence and high ethical
standards are well known. Our readers trust their newspaper and believe
that our editorial content is not influenced by pecuniary, political or
personal interests. PUNCH remains committed to the vision of its
founding fathers and the best traditions of a free press. We believe in
an independent and unfettered mass media, trusted by the public and all
stakeholders.
We have sustained losses, suffered closures and endured privations
in the past for our beliefs. We have remained, and will remain,
steadfast in the defence of the ideals of responsible journalism; hence,
our decision.
We reiterate the need to rebuild and refocus the NPAN as a vibrant,
independent business association and pressure group, funded only by its
member-organisations. We will ONLY reconsider our withdrawal from NPAN
when the critical issues which we, and other concerned stakeholders,
have raised are addressed."
Source: Punch
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