The Editor of National Mirror newspapers, Seyi Fasugba, has been sacked by the publisher, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim.
He has been replaced by the paper’s general editor, Ben Memuletiwon.
Fasugba was said to have incurred the wrath of Ibrahim for daring to publish the story of hired protesters who thronged the Federal High Court, Lagos, venue of the ongoing trial of the alleged drug baron and Ogun Senator-elect, Kashamu Buruji.
Fasugba, was alleged to have collected unspecified huge amount of money, along with others, from the embattled businessman, cum politician to run a media campaign as part of efforts to sway the public against the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, that is currently battling Kashamu.
Kashamu, said to wanted in the United States of America over his involvement in illicit drug is currently resisting arrest, in a deliberate effort to stall his extradition.
An enraged Ibrahim was said to have expressed disgust at the decision of Fasugba, to use his medium to fight the cause of Kashamu, an avowed enemy of former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Ibrahim is widely acknowledged to be Obasanjo’s godson.
Recalled that Fasugba had previously been demoted in 2013, when he was redeployed from the editor of the daily edition of the paper to Sunday Mirror, allegedly on the account of his perceived incompetences.
The decision by the publisher then, at the time Fasugba was away in Brazil, was considered as a huge humiliation and was vehemently protested by the then Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Steve Ayorinde.
Ayorinde had insisted then that the action, considered unprecedented in the history of media practice, would set a very bad precedents if allowed to stand, the position which Ibrahim had interpreted as an affront on his authority as the owner of the paper.
With that decision, many had thought that upon his return into the country, Fasugba would have declined his redeployment to the Sunday dest and resign his appointment.
Curiously, however, against the expectations of many of his professional colleagues, Fasugba upon his return to the country, not only gleefully accepted the editorship of the Sunday edition of the paper, he was also said to have pledged his total loyalty to Ibrahim.
However, few months after, Bolaji Tunji, who was then promoted to Daily Editor resigned to take up higher responsibility as Managing Director of the New Telegraph Newspaper, Fasugba was returned as Daily Editor.
However, that offer only fell on him after one of his former line editors, the paper’s group Political Editor, Ayo Ojo had declined the offer to be promoted to edit the National Mirror.
Ojo’s rejection, was sequel to his acceptance of a Deputy Editor status at the New Telegraph.
Efforts to get Fasugba’s comment on the issue were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.
When he eventually picked one of the calls, he merely dismissed the reporter by saying that he was in the midst of a meeting and would call back. He never did.
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