The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and owner of the Nation Newspaper, Bola Tinubu, has returned his own share of the N9 million received from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, through the Newspaper Proprietor Association of Nigeria, NPAN.
This is coming after the Sun Newspaper also surrendered its own share to the Federal Government and as the Punch Newspaper also suspended its membership from the association following its involvement in the arms scandal.
Recall that investigations from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had traced a suspicious transfer of funds from the former NSA, Sambo Dasuki to Newspaper outlets including Tinubu’s own Nation Newspaper.
Obviously embarrassed by the trend of events following the arms scandal, Tinubu may have pressed on his company directors to file an explanation and immediately return his own share of N9 million received.
“We are again compelled to comment on the N9 million received by Vintage Press Limited as compensation from the government of ex- President Goodluck Jonathan through the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) for the seizure of our publications, The Nation and Sporting Life in June, 2014.
“We do this for two reasons. First, to restate the sequence of events that culminated in the payment , thereby debunking insinuations about the motive for the compensation. Second, to inform the public that the N9 million collected from NPAN on behalf of the Jonathan government has been returned to the association .
“This decision was arrived at on Wednesday by the Board and Management of Vintage Press Limited after a painstaking examination of the legal and moral issues arising from the compensation.”
