Former New Nigerian Newspapers workers have staged a peaceful protest over non-payment of their retirement benefits in Kaduna State.
The workers and their union, during the protest, called on the Northern Governors Forum, chaired by Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya, to compel the Management to pay them their entitlements.
According to the protesting workers, many of their colleagues are either sick or bedridden, waiting to be paid their entitlements years after retirement.
The workers displayed placards that read: “Families of Deceased Workers are Hungry,” “Our families are facing untold hardship,” and “Authorities concerned, please pay us.”
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Other inscriptions read: “90 percent of NNN properties have been sold and over N2 billion raised,” “We call on Northern Governors to intervene and pay us our entitlements,” among others.
One of the workers who spoke on behalf of the protesters at NNN premises in Kaduna, Mr. Nicholas Dekera, gave the Northern governors a 14-day ultimatum to order the management of the company to pay them their entitlements.
Mr. Nicholas further explained that when Kashim Shettima was the governor of Borno State and Northern Governors Chairman, he set up a 5-man Committee with membership drawn from Northern Capital Properties Limited (NCPL), New Nigerian Newspaper management, EFCC, and the Office of the Kaduna SSG, which commenced the sale of NNN properties immediately with the aim of paying the workers. But to date, the workers are yet to be paid.
“It may also interest you to know that 102 of our former workers have died in about 10 years while waiting for these benefits, with some bedridden, some chased out of their rented apartments, whereas a good number of us can’t feed properly.”
“As of today, more than 90% of the properties have been sold and over N2.7 billion realized (with some of these properties fully acquired and renovation works commenced, a very good example is the Popular Nagwamatse house in the heart of Kaduna city),” he said.
The workers said their prayer is for the Northern Governors’ Forum to compel the management of New Nigeria Newspapers, headed by Mr. Yusuf Musa Kontagora, to immediately pay all NNN workers their entitlements without any further delays.
He said the management of New Nigerian Newspapers and the committee have a 14-day ultimatum to pay workers all benefits or face more protests from workers.
The NNN Managing Director Yusuf Musa Kontagora couldn’t be reached on phone and didn’t reply a text message sent to him on the issue.
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