By Ramalan Ibrahim
Abuja
The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria(NPAN), yesterday clarified that it was not in any way part of the botched arms purchase, insisting that members were only compensated for seized copies of the newspapers by security agents.
This formed part of the resolutions of NPAN’s expanded Executive Council meeting recently held in Lagos with 19 members in attendance.
Conveying the resolutions in a statement by its Deputy President and Secretary General, Mallam Kabiru A. Yusuf and Dame Comfort Obi respectively, the association expressed concern at some misgivings in certain quarters and felt there was need to correct same.
They said: “The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) at its expanded Executive Council meeting in Lagos on Thursday December 17, 2015, examined the issue of compensation to its members whose newspapers were seized by security personnel in June last year .
“The Association was concerned by the insinuations, posturing and uninformed commentary on the matter and wishes, out of respect to its readers and advertisers, to set the records straight.”
“Having suffered a lot of harassment during the military era, with some cases still winding their way through our courts, members agreed to a reasonable settlement over prolonged confrontation. 9. Most of our members duly collected the compensation in good faith.
Meanwhile, the cheques for The Guardian, Tribune and Peoples Daily, are still with our Secretariat.
“Member newspapers that received money, could not have any suspicion why it was paid from the office of the former National Security Adviser since the onslaught on newspapers was carried out by the security forces over which the office of the NSA, to some extent, superintended.”
