Arewa Youths Movement for Good Governance (AYMGG), has tasked the Northern Governor Forum and anti-graft agencies to probe the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), over the deliberate slow and agonizing bureaucracy in the payment of the entitlements of the staff of the New Nigerian Newspapers as approved by the Forum.
AYMGG which rose from an expanded regional executive meeting in Kaduna, castigated the NNDC for what it described as “institutional wickedness” over deliberate refusal and failure to comply with directives of the Northern Governors Forum to pay the New Nigerian Newspapers staff after over 100days of approval.
Comrade Ibrahim Ahmadu, North West Coordinator of AYMGG, expressed concern over the act of wickedness being exhibited by the NNDC, that paid some of the staff of the New Nigerian Newspapers and left out others.
Ahmadu said; “This was in spite of the fact that the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum who is the Governor of Gombe State, Dr. Inuwa Yahaya directed the transfer of the NNN beneficiary’s fund to the management of the New Nigerian Newspaper for immediate payment.
“We also know that NCPL that’s Northern Capital Properties limited a subsidiary of NNDC wrote a letter to New Nigerian Newspapers requesting for account details, yet the NNN is of equal status with NNDC because NNN is not a subsidiary of NNDC but directly owned by the 19 Northern Governors as well.
“NNDC is only involved because their subsidiary NCPL was awarded the contract of selling New Nigerian Newspapers properties for payment. After that letter was sent to NNN in compliance with Northern Governors, the NNDC went behind and wrote Northern Governors demanding to pay New Nigerian Newspapers workers’ directly instead of transferring the bulk money to New Nigerian Newspapers to pay her workers.
“Again, Northern Governors graciously granted that approval and instead of the NNDC to comply, they started fresh screening of New Nigeria Newspaper workers, an exercise that lasted for over two months after which they paid only 177 workers and abandoned over 200 staff.
“The NNDC also hijacked all statutory deductions like check off dues and many others. So, you see why NNDC is wickedly killing Northern Nigeria. This was the same thing they did to Hamdala Hotel workers.
“The questions are, is NNDC bigger than the Northern Governors? Or is New Nigerian Newspapers now under NNDC? NNDC is aware that 111 workers have already died while waiting for their payment. Does the NNDC want everybody in New Nigeria Newspapers to die before they will pay?
“If NNDC does not have the capacity, why did it demanded to pay NNN workers directly? Does it mean the NNDC expended that money in NCPL’s account on other things without approval from the Northern Governors?” AYMGG lamented.
The Northern Youths therefore called on the Northern Governors Forum to direct the NNDC to immediately release all the benefits of the staff of the New Nigerian Newspapers to the Company for immediate payment and to also set up a probe panel to investigate the NNDC as well as direct the entire management team and board to step aside.
In the words of AYMGG; “We are sure the Governors will discover cans of warms in the NNDC. We will be mobilizing all our youths in North West and North East especially in Gombe to March to the Governors very soon”.
The initial breakdown of NNN staff benefits before the payments to 177 workers were Outstanding Salaries of N1, 474, 143, 669.30, Gratuities – N661,050, 385.91, Contract allowances – N7,507, 959.53, three months in-lieu of notice amounting to N21,080,699.13, Existing Staff outstanding salaries of N87,491,724.09, statutory deductions of N81,872,906.99 which has now been hijacked by NNDC, trade partners/suppliers bill of N 37,069,055.00 and tax liability of N134, 278, 880.44 totaling N2,504,495,2880.44
It was however gathered that over seven billion Naira was generated by the NNDC through its subsidiary NCPL that got the mandate to sale the properties of the New Nigerian Newspapers with the sole aim of paying beneficiaries of the New Nigerian Newspaper.
