VINTAGE press Limited has returned the N9 million it received as compensation for the seizure of copies The Nation and SportingLife in June, 2014.

In a statement yesterday, the organisation explained why it took the decision.

It said: “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 SportingLife 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

“In our first comment published in the Saturday, December 12 edition of The Nation, we provided the background to the compensation. We recalled the mindless, illegal and unjustified seizure of thousands of copies of both titles by soldiers in major cities and towns across the country.

“Not only were copies of both papers impounded, our vehicles and drivers were arrested and detained in military barracks. They were released very late, in some instances at 7pm, when it was practically impossible to put the consignments in the market. “We know of no other newspaper that was so harassed and maltreated by soldiers who claimed that they had intelligence reports that newspapers vehicles were to be used by insurgents to ferry arms.

“Our response to this unjustifiable infringement of our rights was go to court to get justice and ask for Compensation. We briefed the legal firm of Femi Falana (SAN) to institute an action against the government and the military authorities and demand N300 million compensation.

“Soon after the clampdown, Jonathan hosted the NPAN in Lagos and the issue of compensation was raised with him. He promised to get back to the association through its president, Nduka Obaigbena, the publisher of Thisday. Obaigbena later briefed members that the government had agreed to pay N10 million to each newspaper. A mail followed from the association asking newspapers to submit their statements of claims for compensation.

“This development was discussed with our lawyer who advised that the N10 million compensation was reasonable, following which we resolved to stay action on the suit .

“At subsequent meetings in Lagos and Abuja , NPAN assured members that the government had not changed its mind . At the Abuja meeting in March but year, the association resolved that N1million be paid by each newspaper on receipt of the N10 million towards the acquisition of a befitting corporate office for it.

“In May, the secretary of NPAN, Mr. Feyi Smith, brought a draft for N9 million to Vintage Press Limited. The draft was accepted in good faith, believing it was from the account of the association and also from the appropriate department of government.

“Who was in a better position to deliver a draft from NPAN to Vintage Press than the NPAN secretary? Vintage Press, like other newspapers that received drafts/cheques from the NPAN, did not know that the money was paid to a private company by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and from funds collected by that office specifically for the procurement of arms ? This was until The Nation, in its edition of Friday, December 4, published details of the stupendous sums of money collected by individuals and organisations from the ONSA.

“Now, the source of the payment to us is beyond contention. We now know it came from the ONSA and routed through a private company, General Hydrocarbon Limited. This company is unknown to NPAN. Facts in the public domain show clearly that the money the company collected was for ‘energy consultancy.’

That this company would collect the compensation on NPAN’s behalf was never disclosed to the association in line with corporate best practice. As a business that subscribes fully to the tenets of sound governance, we are not at ease with this revelation.

“We are also uncomfortable with the revelation that the compensation was from the money earmarked for the purchase of arms for troops fighting insurgency.

“This point was stated clearly in our editorial of Wednesday, December 23 in which we said: ‘it is unclear to what extent the extension of the anti- terror war was due to fraud – related factors. But it is clear enough that the war effort was deliberately hampered by fraudulent activities.”

“It is a shame,” we said further, “that there is even a possibility, however slim, that media players helped to create an enabling environment for terrorists, wittingly or unwittingly, by linkage with Dasuki.

“In the light of the foregoing, Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation and Sportinglife, on Wednesday resolved that the N9 million compensation be returned to the NPAN for onward delivery to the source of the money. A draft for N9million was handed over to Mr Smith today in Lagos.

“The Board and Management of Vintage Press have also resolved not to resume the legal action it asked the firm of Femi Falana (SAN) to initiate against the government and the military authorities but to regard the losses incurred during the period as part of the sacrifice The Nation has made to the enthronement of a new order in our country.

“It was noted with satisfaction that no law of the land was breached in asking for compensation and receiving same from the government but that with the sordid disclosures about the ONSA, Vintage Press cannot in good conscience regard the compensation as a closed case on which nothing can be done.

“However,, we find most uncharitable the infantile claim that the compensation was meant to compromise us. We were highly critical of the Jonathan government for its incompetence as we would of any government that we judge to be incompetent. We remain committed to our mission as a newspaper and declare that no individual or body can dissuade us from this noble cause.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/vintage-press-returns-n9-million-to-npan/

ook

The rabbits are being chased out of their holes gradually

Okay... grandpa Buhari am calculating d money entering our tsa so get ready for accountability when time cums

“It is a shame,” we said further, “that there is
even a possibility, however slim, that media
players helped to create an enabling
environment for terrorists, wittingly or
unwittingly, by linkage with Dasuki"

I felt like crying wen I read dat part and some ignoramus re wailing 4 his release. Dasuki u ll nver knw happiness 4eva.

watching in 3D

I can see the promise land and we will get there soon.

Ok

Tinubu self return him own

Is this not plea bargain? Tinubu must go to jail too

For those who want to know who are returning their loot, it's my honor that I declared that Vintage publisher is the first organization that so publicly declared how much it received and for what purpose. Let us all join hands and support all individual(s) and organization(s) to return all the loot in their possession to the government treasury for the good of the country.

It is left to the courts to decide the complicity of your organisation in this case. Thanks for returning the money.

Am happy Pride and Honour is returning to our dear country.

So ONSA was the treasury office of GEJs government.

Every day i hear things like this i wonder what Okonjo-Iweala was doing as finance/coordinating minsiter. When clearly the finance minister to Jonathan was Dasuki

I will continue to ask God to strengthen and bless Buhari, and bless all those who contributed one way or another to make his presidency see the light of day.

Imagine he wasn't the one on the saddle- just imagine that.

I voted the gentlemen for ONE purpose- to fight corruption HEAD ON, and so far, I'm overly satisfied with what he's done.

This year is gonna be an interesting one indeed.

I have said it many times that the Arms fund probe is just a diversionary tactic by Buhari and an attempt to give relevance to his phantom anti-corruption (witchhunt) crusade. The fund in question was never entirely earmarked for arms procurement. Nonetheless, owners of Vintage must be treated the same way Dokpesi was humiliated by Buhari, refund or not.

Nigeria will be great again.

sanky346:
Am happy Pride and Honour is returning to our dear country.

Absolutely. It is a thing of pride and joy indeed.

It is just a shame some people, who are in no small measure, victims of the activities of the criminals Baba's been fighting are the ones who appear most offended by the anti corruption campaign.

I hope someday the scales fall off their eyes so they can see what great damage they've been doing to themselves and their generations unborn.

muri4mig:
For those who want to know who are returning their loot, it's my honor that I declared that Vintage publisher is the first organization that so publicly declared how much it received and for what purpose. Let us all join hands and support all individual(s) and organization(s) to return all the loot in their possession to the government treasury for the good of the country.

One news paper returned their share 2 weeks ago,either vanguard am not sure,the Nation is not the first

Sun newspaper returned theirs two weeks ago. The Nation is the second. I never believed I could see a day like this in Nigeria. I wish my dad is alive to see the CHANGE he voted for. He was a strong believer in the Buhari's anti corruption stand and he seriously canvassed for him. Unfortunately he died on the 4th of July, 2015. With the state of things with the anti corruption war, am sure he will be happy where he is now.

OLADD:
I have said it many times that the Arms fund probe is just a diversionary tactic by Buhari and an attempt to give relevance to his phantom anti-corruption (witchhunt) crusade. The fund in question was never entirely earmarked for arms procurement. Nonetheless, owners of Vintage must be treated the same way Dokpesi was humiliated by Buhari, refund or not.

Diversionary tactic??
To divert our minds from what??

The fund was never entirely earmarked for arms procurement
For what else was it earmarked??

bettercreature:
One news paper returned their share 2 weeks ago,either vanguard am not sure,the Nation is not the first

Did you read the quote? Where did they claim, they were the first to return?

Clerverly:


Did you read the quote? Where did they claim, they were the first to return?

The poster whom i quote earlier,said they are the first to return money

nobilis:


Diversionary tactic??
To divert our minds from what??

The fund was never entirely earmarked for arms procurement
For what else was it earmarked??

Yes, to divert the attention of the masses from his apparent naivety and stack incompetence.

Two, pick your phone and google what the office of the NSA encompasses. Anything that involves protecting the LIFE of the sitting president and his govt is the NSA:s preoccupation.

Abeg make somebody ping me when e reach front page..

912:
So ONSA was the treasury office of GEJs government.

Every day i hear things like this i wonder what Okonjo-Iweala was doing as finance/coordinating minsiter. When clearly the finance minister to Jonathan was Dasuki

Puff puff mouth was training to see how many puff puff she could stuff in her mouth that he forget her real duty. The shameless woman should jump in a deep well and cease to show her face.

OLADD:
I have said it many times that the Arms fund probe is just a diversionary tactic by Buhari and an attempt to give relevance to his phantom anti-corruption (witchhunt) crusade. The fund in question was never entirely earmarked for arms procurement. Nonetheless, owners of Vintage must be treated the same way Dokpesi was humiliated by Buhari, refund or not.

Ipob rats...Nigeria is marching forward dis 2016..

Hehehehe! So apc/thiefnuuubu's the nation paper also collected their share from the dasukigate? So they received the 9 million from an unknown source and lost their investigative journalistic skills? Na antelope don dey pursue leopard so.

OrlandoOwoh:
Nigeria will be great again.

Insha Allahu

OLADD:


Yes, to divert the attention of the masses from his apparent naivety and stack incompetence.

Two, pick your phone and google what the office of the NSA encompasses. Anything that involves protecting the LIFE of the sitting president and his govt is the NSA:s preoccupation.

His apparent naivety and incompetence at what exactly?
At making oil sell for $120 pb?
Is that where his incompetence lies?
Is it at forcing the US to buy Nigerian Crude?
Is it at forcing our crude down the throats of those who wanted it before but don't want it anymore?

And I would like u to show me a glaring example of Jonathan's competence.
Was it in encouraging corruption and diverting monies meant for things to other things?
Tell me


Secondly, I didn't ask what the NSA's job description is.
I asked what the money he was sharing was earmarked for since u said it wasn't earmarked for arms procurement and you never answered that.