How Oshiomhole wasted 600 million annually to gag journalists

 

 

How Oshiomhole wasted 600 million annually to gag journalists

 

Former governor of Edo state and federal appointment hopeful, Mallam Adamu Aliu Oshiomhole wasted Edo state tax payers money to the tune of 600 million naira annually as illegal allocation to pressmen working in Edo state for the eight years he was governor.

 

This money, totaling 50 million Naira monthly, was paid out to most journalists working in Edo State in exchange for their managing the propaganda, half truths and outright lies for his government.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor in collaboration with a certain correspondent whose initials are S.E. working for a national media which first and last letters of the name of their newspaper are V & D.

 

Except for a few newspapers which were considered unfriendly by Oshiomhole and most community newspaper which were thought to be benign, correspondents of most newspapers operating in Edo state who ordinarily were earning salaries from their respective employers were placed on a special illegal monthly ‘allocation’ of between N25,000 and N50,000 of Edo state tax payer’s money. This was technically an ink bribe, a bribe on their conscience and ink.

 

The ink bribe was paid in cash through the office of the Chief Press Secretary, Mr Peter Okhiria.

Mr Okhiria, who is best remembered for his iconoclastic gaffe, was a subeditor of Vanguard newspapers in Lagos.

 

Mr Okhiria used a certain close correspondent of his whose initials are S.E., a leading figure in the Edo state committee of newspaper correspondents, to pay over 50 newspapers and magazines for eight years.

 

The bank account statements of Messrs Okhiria and S. E. and their spouses’ will prove this fact beyond reasonable doubt or desired investigation by the relevant financial and security agencies.

The leadership of the Edo State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) was not  left out of the Oshiomhole Bonanza. The union leadership received allocation of 5 million Naira monthly to keep media criticism of Oshiomhole in check. Their bank account statements would also prove this.

This explains why the Edo state NUJ became too subservient to the governor and did not allow for critical reportage.

 

In case of any doubts,the financial and security agencies should investigate the bank accounts of state executives and their spouses and ask them to explain the sources of the huge monthly deposits.

The State NUJ and some correspondents in Edo State, instigated by Mr S.E., has reported Obaseki to Oshiomhole for failing to continue the tradition.

 

Obaseki has not started paying newspaper correspondents in Edo state the monthly ‘media allocation’ that Oshiomhole was paying, amounting to 50 million Naira monthly.

 

This explains why some of them, chiefly the V.D., started to write critical reports to get the attention of the governor or to make others draw his attention to the fact that they need to resume collection of their illegal allocation that should interest security agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

 

Obaseki has allegedly told close aides that he does not need to pay the media. He stopped the illegal payments monies since he took office, an action that has seen correspondent of V.D. reporting the governor to his godfather at Iyahmoh. They have also allegedly reported the governor to Chief Oyegun.