There are strong indications that the billionaire politician and self-acclaimed corporate surgeon, Jimoh Ibrahim, may move against to echelon of the media arm of his Global Energy Group.
Sources close to the Igbotako-born politician told our correspondent at the weekend that, the primary targets of his impending hammer are Kafilat Ogbara and Moses Jolayemi, Chief executive Officers of National Mirror and Newswatch Newspapers respectively.
Ogbara, the politician who was brought in late last year as replacement for Steve Ayorinde, former Managing Director/ Editor in Chief of the Global Media Mirror, Publishers of National Mirror, who resigned in protest against some draconian policies of Ibrahim, is said to have run into some difficulties with her boss, owing to what sources attributed to her ‘greed, ignorance and unprofessional conducts.’
Ogbara’s undoing, according to sources was the “big fight” she had with one Betiku, believed to be Jimoh Ibrahim’s goon in Ogbese, Ondo State over advert commission.
Indeed, many sources within the company told New Mail Nigeria that Ogbara is notorious for struggling for and in fact, cornering advert commission meant for advert staff, editors and outstation correspondents. The action, they claimed is fast depleting the revenue base of the company as most staff, including those in advert and special project department no longer see advert sourcing as any incentive.
Part of the strategy to ease out Ogbara, whom many staff believes lacked the competences and guts required to push the Mirror brand, owing largely to her extremely low profile in the media space because she’s more of a politician than administrator, was the last week appointment of Sunday Olajide, former title editor with the Tribune newspapers who incidentally was sacked few months ago.
Part of Olajide’s brief as the new deputy Managing Director, according to sources, was to closely monitor Ogbara’s activities and ultimately works his way up the ladder as a replacement in the event that Ibrahim finally moves against her, which multiple sources claim may be anytime soon.
Olajide’s appointment as DMD last week stunned most close observers of what a source described as “Jimoh Ibrahim’s House of Commotion.” Olajide, who sources say had rejected Ibrahim’s job offer twice before been forced to eat the humble pie, was to come in as Executive Director, Special Projects.
In fact, our correspondent gathered that the office used by the former Editor of Business Courage was as at last week prepared for his use before the sudden change which saw the former DMD, Bayo Makinde moved over to Newswatch Daily as deputy Managing Director.
The case of Jolayemi, the chubby Managing Director of Newswatch Newspapers is even a bit more complex, according to competent sources.
Black Moses, as he’s often called, may have had his cup full with Jimoh Ibrahim who may have made up his mind to ease out the former Senior Special Assistant, Media to the former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni, out of his company.
In fact, inside sources hinted New Mail Nigeria that Ibrahim had expected Jolayemi to have resigned long ago, following a series of measures he put in place to frustrate him and render him ineffective.
Part of the policy, which incidentally, saw Ayorinde walked-out on Jimoh Ibrahim late last year, was primarily targeted at Jolayemi.
“The decision to separate the Managing Director from Editor in Chief was actually meant to undermine Moses but you know that there was no way that policy would be implemented in one arm of the same company without extending it to others. Unfortunately, Jolayemi failed to see what Ayorinde saw then,” said a source.
The new game plan to flush out Jolayemi began last week, with the redeployment of Makinde from National Mirror to Newswatch Daily as DMD.
Makinde himself, an extremely loyal goon of Ibrahim, having played very key role in the event that led to Ibrahim’s acquisition of controlling equity in the Newswatch company in 2012, has been mandated to undertake a comprehensive restructuring of the entire company, without his boss’ knowledge.
In fact, our correspondent reliably gathered that Makinde was summoned to the Victoria Garden City home of the billionaire businessman last week to debrief him on what was expected of him in his new assignment in Newswatch.
As at last week, inside sources said Ibrahim has asked an external audit to rummage through the books of the Jolayemi-led management because of the believe that a “considerable malfeasance has been committed.” Should the audit report indict the management, as it is being ‘wired to do,’ Jolayemi would not have a choice that to be asked to quit, thus paving the way for the emergence of Makinde as the new chief executive.
However, some top staff of the Jimoh Ibrahim’s group said at the weekend that the gathering storm was just a reflection of the state of finances of the entire group, which they claimed to be on a ‘cliffhanger.’
Perhaps so, until the report of the plan by staff of Daily Newswatch staff to down tool last week went viral, courtesy of a news item published by New Mail Nigeria http://newmail-ng.com/new/fresh-crisis-rocks-jimoh-ibrahim-empire-staff-set-showdown-unpaid-salaries/ and other online publications, staff were owed well over five months.
Although one of the about five months salaries being owed the Newswatch Newspapers staff were paid, those in the magazine arm were left unattended to and if the information at our disposal is anything to go by, those in the magazine may also adopt the newspaper style this week to compel Ibrahim to pay.
In fact, another signal that the Ibrahim’s business empire may be going through some strain is the report that Technology Global, the firm handling the Computer To Press, CTP machines for Global media mirror is being owed between N34m to N50 million for the services already rendered.
Sources said that the former MD of Mirror, Steve Ayorinde was said to have facilitated the payment of about N18 million outstanding before he left the company late last year but since his departure, the debt has accumulated and according to report, the company has refused to render any service to the media group in the last nine months.
However, inside sources said that Ibrahim is currently being compelled to renegotiate with the firm following the massive break downs regularly experienced with the two printing presses at Ogbese and Abuja.
Sources further claim that three other machines meant to be installed in Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt, all still crated in VGC may have been canibalised as most of the parts are being used to fix the faulty plants in Abuja, Lagos and Ogbese.
As part of his cost-cutting measures, Newswatch Daily has been forced to reduced pagination from 96 to 72 while the glossy insertions in Saturday and Sunday Newswatch have been suspended due to financial constraint.
Also, as the financial crunch bites harder, Ibrahim early this year directed that the salaries of Fidelis Lemche, the regional director, South-south, who stood in after Ayorinde’s exit prior to the appointment of Ogbara, as well as Ganiyu Kayode Balogun, former Senior Manager, Strategic Development who was moved to Port-Harcourt early this year, be removed from the payroll.
The two senior staff, who he said should be paid from what they earn from their operations in Port-Harcourt, when the central finance pool is in Lagos, last received salary in April.
Curiously, even when staff salaries running into several months have remained unpaid, Ibrahim reportedly brought in machine that ensures that staff clock in and out daily, thus increasing their financial burden. Besides, staffs are more or less compelled to attend three hour devotional cum management training session every Monday.
In fact, recently, when he relocated his office from the imposing Energy House on Marina to the Nicon Hotel, VGC, Ibrahim moves the ‘Monday-Monday ritual’ there and was said to have even toyed with the idea of compelling every staff, irrespective of where they live to come to VGC every Sunday for service.
Perhaps, what stuns most people about the character of the self-acclaimed corporate surgeon, who is presently nursing the ambition to succeed Olusegun Mimiko as Ondo Governor is the excessive romantic affairs he has with virtually every female staff, particularly, those in the management cadre.
The lists of his staff-bedmates are endless but the recent casualty is the former General Manager, Nicon Hotel, VGC who resigned the same day she was removed, owing to irreconcilable differences.
Another staff, a Ghanaian, Ophelia Attorbrah, an executive director, Energy Bank, Ghana who was said to have resigned shortly after she returned from a London trip with the businessman owner of the bank.
In fact, the gale of resignation, which reached the feverish pitch towards the end of 2013 is said to be continuing with the media arm said to be the worst hit.
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