Newswatch publisher sacks MD, DMD on live television

Publisher of Newswatch newspapers, Jimoh Ibrahim yesterday  announced the sack of the Managing Director and the deputy Managing Director of Newswatch Daily, Moses Jolayemi and Makinde Bankole.

However, both Jolayemi and Makinde had resigned before the bizarre manner of the termination of their employments on a live television programme on Monday morning by Ibrahim.

While Jolayemi had resigned from the company since last year, Bankole resigned last week.

Bankole’s resignation, without any notice, was said to have angered Ibrahim, hence, the resort to the purported termination of their appointments on live television.

Bankole, the deputy Managing Director of the controversial publication, has been acting as the MD since the exit of Jolayemi as the MD/Editor-in-Chief before he also resigned last week.

Ibrahim, at a training conference of his companies, aired live on the Nigerian Television Authority and African Independent Television, pointed at one of the trainees, asking him to go and take over the leadership of Newswatch Daily.

He said anyone who knew Jolayemi and Bankole should tell them that they had been relieved of their duties. He said Newswatch was his only company that has been unable to meet its salary obligations.

Meanwhile, the FCT Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) had stormed venue of the training in Nicon Luxury Hotel to protest the non-payment of salaries of its members working in Newswatch and National Mirror newspapers.

It took the intervention of the traditional ruler of Igbokoda in Ondo State who was participating in the training to calm frayed nerves.

Chairman of  NUJ FCT council, Mr. Paul Abechi said the union would no longer tolerate the non-payment of salaries by media organisations.

While Newswatch Daily owes its workers 11months salaries, National Mirror, also owes staff eight months salaries.

Employees of NICON Insurance, another of Ibrahim’s companies are also being owed salaries.