Azuka Jebose has replied THISDAY Managing Director, Eniola Bello…
“Dear Mr. Eniola, I sincerely sympathize with you over the death of your wife. May her soul be granted grace at the eternal house of comfort. But are you aware of how many staff and ex-staff are mourning or have mourned their loved ones in silence within the past decade and did not have the finance to privilege their dead loved ones a dignified burial?”
“They did not have ‘big men’, the mighty and powerful in Nigeria to sympathize, pay condolence visits to their families, No Governors, No high powered politician visited or commiserated with them, no social media shout-outs. No Government, not their state governments, shared in their griefs like you are getting from the death of your wife.”
“Your wife died peacefully, but a few of your staff died mysteriously from curable diseases, while another was murdered. They died waiting for their unpaid salaries. They died, leaving behind debts for their families to inherit. These workers were created by the same God that made your late wife. I am being realistic here, not cruel and inconsiderate.”
“Let me remind you of ThisDay staff that died while awaiting their unpaid salaries: Godwin Agboroko was shot and killed on his way home, after waiting late night at the office, for his unpaid salary. Agboroko was a vibrant, brilliant ThisDay editor and columnist. He was loyal to the brand, despite non-payment of salaries. On December 22, 2006, Agboroko decided to wait after his regular work hours, incase Obaigbena paid staffers part of past due to salaries. He had a family. Christmas was a few days away.”
“Samuel Famakinwa was one of the newspaper’s young, promising Deputy Editors. On August 2, 2007, Famakinwa flew into Maiduguri for an assignment with the then Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sherriff. Hours after he arrived, his body was discovered in his room 245 of the International Hotel Maiduguri. He allegedly died of a heart attack.”
“In 2010, veteran and hardworking Judicial Editor, Funso Muraina, was humiliated after years of service for silly excuses of allegedly missing a Nigerian Bar Association trending news. Muraina never recovered from that humiliation. The stress led to a series of unexplained ailments. He died at 49, July 5th, 2010, “after a brief illness”. His salaries were not paid.
“Paul Ohia, a young devoted Foreign Desk Editor of ThisDay, decided to head home to his wife and two children at the close of work on October 22, 2013. As he drove along Marine Road toward his young family, Paul suddenly became weak and dizzy and began to gasp for breath. He somehow managed to pull his vehicle to the median. Minutes later, passersby found him slumped inside his vehicle, unresponsive. Ohia’s cause of death was ruled as cardiac arrest.”
“Jude Okwe, died in 2016 from a terminal disease. Those familiar with the tragic death of Okwe confirmed that his illness was accelerated by lack of finance to seek medical care in the early stages. His health quickly deteriorated. Help came a bit late from the then Cross Rivers State government,” ThisDay abandoned Jude”.
“Another editorial staff, Tunde Sanni, also kissed death. He could only afford to receive medical treatment in his hometown until his death.”
“Deputy Political Editor, Ademola Adeyemo died from a heart attack early in 2016 because he had no money to seek early treatment for his ailing heart.”
“Still in 2016, ThisDay Sokoto State Bureau Chief suffered from kidney disease. He needed a kidney transplant and Nduka Obaigbena could neither assist nor pay his past salaries. His condition was pathetic. It touched the heart of the Editor then, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu who had to donate N400,000 from her personal account to assist her colleague to pay for treatments.”
“Also, through the intervention of former ThisDay reporter, Special Assistant on Media to the Sokoto State Governor, Imam Imam, the State government offered to sponsor him to India for further life-saving treatment. So, sir MD, are the lives of these staffers and others silently suffering from nonpayment of regular salaries, different from your sad situations?”
“At least, you admitted that you owned these properties with your defense narratives. You have every right to defend yourself. However, you refused to address why salaries are being owed to your staff. Rather, you attempted to respond with pretenses of innocence and seek sympathy because you are in mourning.”
“Thisday families have been in mourning for more than a decade. You and Nduka continue to punish these workers: As I type this response, your drivers, security guards, cleaners, messengers and those low-income workers came to work, starved, borrowed money for transportation, just to please an inhuman work environment headed by two men who need to be in prison. ThisDay staffs deserve to be paid regularly. They deserve a structured retirement program. They don’t deserve chaos, confusion and irregular lifestyles because they work for ThisDay.”
“Sir, you can call me whatever you want to. My focus remains to hold you and Nduka Obaigbena accountable for years of salaries abuse of your staff, denial of their earned wages which is cruel and unusual punishment while both of you rock steady in splendid and plush environments with those at the corridors of powers, ignoring the plight of your suffering workers. I wished you had not introduced your wife’s death here.”
“She doesn’t deserve this. Her family doesn’t either. My understanding was that she died from breast cancer. Breast cancer can be terminal and if my wife had such terminal disease, I will not be in Geneva awaiting her death before I react. I will walk the mile with her until the end of time.”
“I know Nduka Obaigbena. I worked for him. He still owes me. But I do not need his money. I do not need any influences to acquire any landed property in Abuja or any upscale neighborhood in homeland Nigeria. Everything I own today, I earned. I busted my butt and I am proud of it. I did not trade any of my positions in lieu of favors from anyone. I would hope you go forward and give your wife the burial she deserves. My condolences to you and your family. Nothing personal. Mega Respect.”