Workers Shut Ex-Gov Daniel’s Compass Newspaper

Staff of Compass Newspaper, owned by former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, this morning shut down the company over nonpayment of five months salaries running into N100 million.

The aggrieved staff said they embarked on indefinite strike from 12 midnight after a meeting with the management to pay the arrears hit the rocks.

P.M.NEWS gathered from the staff that they are being owed N100 million. Daniel was reported as saying that he had no money to pay the staff.

A senior journalist with the newspaper (name withheld) told P.M.NEWS that the staff met with the management of the company last night after which they decided to embark on a strike.

It was gathered that Daniel told the newspaper’s management staff that he cannot pay the staff because he had spent about N1.5 billion on the botched governorship election in Ogun.

But the governor pleaded with the staff not to embark on the strike. He was said also to have threatened the staff that he would shut the newspaper for a year after which the staff will be told to reapply.

It was also learnt that Daniel had ordered the Managing Director of Compass Newspaper, Mr. Sina Kawonise to seize all the official cars given to the staff.

Kawonise quickly carried out this order.

P.M.NEWS also gathered that Daniel had given the go-ahead for the closing of the company for one year as the staff revolted.

Contacted, Kawonise said that he will issue a public statement when the company is shut.

He refused to comment further.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga