The Edo State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has condemned the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led Edo State Government’s continuous “demolition of successful governments legacy,” making reference to the Nigerian Observer newspaper, which the party referred to as pride of Edo State.
Recall that the state government in June 2022, closed down the Nigerian Observer and promised to reopen it in a month after restructuring it.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, Esq, in a statement had said, “The Edo State Government, in line with the reforms of the state-owned media organisations, has directed the closure of the Nigerian Observer newspaper for a period of one month, for re-organisation and re-launch of the media outfit.”
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Ogie added, “All existing staff of the Nigerian Observer are hereby redeployed to the Ministry of Communication and Orientation, with immediate effect, where they will receive further directives on their new responsibilities.
“Members of the reading public and lovers of the Nigerian Observer brand are assured that their darling newspaper titles will return to the stands shortly better and improved.”
But the APC in a statement signed by Victor Ofure Osehobo, Assistant State Publicity Secretary, a copy of which was made available to INFO DAILY on Thursday, said the Obaseki-led government was being economical with the truth when it closed down the newspaper, as he has failed to reopen the it after several months.
The statement lamented that Observer newspaper had since been turned it to an online newspaper, with an editor who, according to the party, is also a staff of the Ministry of Youth and Gender.
Oshobo in the statement added that contrary to the government’s promise of reopening the media firm one month after, it has since “demolished vital sections of the premises of the newspaper at 24 Airport Road, Benin City, installed a ‘N5-billion’ printing press, redeployed all the workers to MDAs and created a newspaper called ECHO to replace the Nigerian Observer.
“This is the situation Edo state government has found itself with a governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki demolishing the legacy Edo newspaper, the pride of Edo state and turning it to an online newspaper, with an editor who is also a staff of the Ministry of Youth and Gender.”
Further revealing what played out in the close down of the newspaper, Osehobo in the statement said: “The old Nigeria Observer printing press was auctioned while a fairly press proposed to print ECHO, the new mane Obaseki has given the Nigerian Observer with some of his cronies as staffers has failed to print one sheet of paper since it was imported from Germany in 2020. Twice the manufacturers have been guests of the government for millions of Naira, to repair it to no avail.”
He added: “Yet Edo state government has employed a 14-man staff for the Echo and signed an MOU with some unknown media firm for the purpose of daily printing and circulation of the medium on a PPP basis.”
The APC described the governor’s style of saying one thing and doing the opposite as one which is in tandem with his 2020 manifesto called, Make Edo Grounded Again, MEGA.
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The statement added: “The goal is ensuring a defined template for underdevelopment in Edo state. It is with all the modalities for an unending underevelopment plan, designed to paralyse government tools, guidelines and milestones so that his successors find future development planning an ordeal. We condemn the plot as it is bound to fail.”
The Nigerian Observer was set up in 1968 by Late Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, as Administrator of then Midwest region and can be regarded as one of the assets, Edo inherited in 1991.