The Chairman of Energy Group, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, has again bare his fangs, announcing the sack of the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director one of his companies, Newswatch Daily and Newswatch Magazine, Makinde Bankole and Dr. John Folayan.
Ibrahim’s curious sacking of both Folayan, his close aide and childhood friend, and Makinde who left the company last week, was announced on live television programme on Monday.
Ibrahim, who announced the sack during a live telecast on NTA and AIT during his 5th GMD Conference held in Abuja, followed the disruption of the live programme by members of the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, who stormed the venue of the programme to protest non payment of the salaries of members of the association, running into several months.
The aggrieved workers, carrying placards with several inscriptions, insisted on not leaving the venue of the conference until Ibrahim made a firm commitment regarding the payment of their outstanding salaries.
Multiple sources told New Mail correspondent that the aggrieved workers resisted all entreaties to vacate the hall, until a detachment of riot policemen were drafted to forced the staff out.
Angered by what many described as a monumental embarrassment to the self acclaimed Corporate surgeon, Ibrahim verbally announced the sacking of the CEOs and picked Demola Abimboye, Newswatch Magazine’s General Manager(Editor) as both Managing Director of Newswatch Magazine and Deputy Managing Director, Newswatch Times.
Ibrahim was quoted to have said that any chief executive within his group who cannot pay his staff salary has no business remaining in the position.
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 Friday, January 15.
Ibrahim said Newswatch was his only company that has been unable to meet its salary obligations.
This is however far from the truth.
While Newswatch Daily is owing its workers 11 months salary, another of his publications, National Mirror, is also owing staff eight months salary. Nicon Insurance is also owing several months of salary.
Ibrahim, however, said he would be willing to assist the new helmsman of Newswatch Daily for the first few months in the saddle, adding that after this, he has to contend solely with running the company.
Staff are quick to point to the undue interference of Ibrahim as one of the reasons why the media outfits are failing.
Jolayemi and Bankole are not the first set of leaders of Ibrahim’s companies to resign over his managerial style.
The first MD/Editor-in-Chief of the rejuvenated National Mirror, Abiodun Rauf, resigned in controversial circumstances also.
So also did Steve Ayorinde, who is now the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, resign from National Mirror.
Popular politician, Kafilat Ogbara, equally resigned from National Mirror over the same issue.
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