Osun Defender’s staff to protest Aregbesola’s unfair treatment July 15

Reporters and other members of staff of  Osun Defender newspaper, a paper founded by immediate past governor of Osun state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, would Monday stage a protest in Osogbo against what they described as unfair treatment.

The members of staff were said to have been disengaged by the new coordinating editor of the newspaper, Mr Ayo Akinola.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that Akinola, who is not a journalist, was appointed to assist one Prince Kanmi Ademiluyi who has experience in journalism, to manage the company after Kola Olabisi and Kayode Agbaje were relieved of their job.

The source said, “Akinola went behind and dubiously schemed Kanmi and everybody out. He’s only good in raising signboards but poor in news content as you can see from the latest edition of the paper.’’

The reporters are demanding payment of their salaries and disengagement benefits. He said Akinola referred to them as detractors in the new edition of Osun Defender.

“Actually, agents of destruction and destabilisation, working with certain evidently disloyal former insider elements, did their very

best to push us into oblivion, but providence did not allow that to happen. They lied, concocted unfounded rumours, attempted getting us permanently shut down but it was all futile because our cause and mission to the good people of the state are clear and noble. We had the majority support of the people with us, making mockery of each of their evil intentions and permutations to gird us into extinction,” Akinola was quoted to have said in the new edition.

Reacting to the purported disengagement, Akinola denied disengaging any of the reporters, saying “I disengaged no one. Tell whoever says that to show you one letter. Just one letter signed by me to disengage anybody, nothing of such.”

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