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serosa1966@yahoo.com Hyattsville, MD, USA

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A VAGABOND IN POWER

read with disbelief that Mr. Niran Malaolu is now the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Ogun State, my home state. I wonder what this country is turning to. That appointment showed the stuff the Governor of the Gateway State is made of. Very unserious. I have known that the government is a settlement government. Many of those in the cabinet are not there on merit but on who know whom, not on what they have to offer but to compensate them for their role in the governor's campaign. Iyabo got there not on merit but because her father is the President of Nigeria. What has been her track record in leadership? Well let us leave that for now. My interest is the appointment of Niran Malaolu.

It was a shock to me when I read that he is now the Information Commissioner in my state, poor Ogun State, cursed by poor, visionless and inept leadership. What were the criteria used in appointing Mr. Niran as the Commissioner?

I have the privilege to know Mr. Niran Malaolu just like most Nigerians knew him courtesy of the 1997 coup trial. He appeared like someone innocently charged and convicted. That was the impression we innocently got, but my close relationship with him later on and comments from those had worked with him particularly in Diet showed the contrary.

What is about to say is an eye witness account of what happened. What I know and I am sure a lot of my colleagues in Anchor would bear witness to.

I was recalled from Abuja as the Tempo correspondent to Lagos to work as the head of Nation desk in July 2001, but I had hardly settled down when I was approached by a former editor of The News and one of my mentors in journalism, Osita Nwajah. Osita fondly called BABA was the Editor of the Anchor on Sunday. After much talk I joined Osita in September. Before I left for Anchor my annual salary in Tempo was 14,000 as a Master degree holder, I am sure it has not changed there as at now. I joined Osita and was placed on 32,000 per month as Senior Correspondent (Defence/Security). I was ready to give my best to justify my salary. This was me earning 14,000 a month, including weekly transport allowance as a correspondent in Tempo and now on 32,000 Naira in Anchor, earning even more than the Assistant General Manager of The News who was the highest paid employee after the Directors.

At first I thought it was Niran and Segun Babatope who owned Anchor until I was told that the owner is one gentleman who loved quiet life, Mr. Adewale Adeeyo, the Publisher of the Newspaper just had his name on the masthead, but those calling the shots were Mr. Segun Babatope (MD/Editor-in-Chief) and Mr. Niran Malaolu (Executive Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief). They were the signatories to the account of Anchor, Adeeyo was not. This was strange to me. The man gave them full autonomy to run the paper. Error number one. Mr. Adeeyo trusted these two journalists and men of God so much that he never queried their decisions. They had free hands to do and undo.

Adeeyo was fooled that Mr. Segun Babatope is a strong member of the Deeper Life Bible Church headed by Pastor WF Kumuyi, he was also the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Concord Newspaper. Niran Malaolu already is a popular man, victim of Abacha dictatorship. That was the ticket. This opened door for him and made him famous. Based on these track records, Mr. Adeeyo did not deem it necessary to investigate his friend Babatope further on how the Concord died when he was the deputy editor-in-chief, and on the true reason why Niran was arrested and tried by Abacha, also what went wrong in Diet Newspaper under Niran's leadership. Unknown to Mr. Adeeyo, Niran had been suspended indefinitely three times, by the publisher of ThisDay newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena when the former was working. He did not return to ThisDay after he was recalled on the third suspension. He later became the editor of Diet newspaper. No sooner had he joined Diet than they began to have problem in paying salaries. Diet later died. When Abacha arrested him, his staff in Diet jubilated, they prayed never for him to come back.

Mr. Niran had used his arrest under Abacha to make money and gained favour, but the truth was never told. Mr. Niran was not arrested for his anti-Abacha stance. This must be made known. An Abacha man, James Ibori, a very close friend of Hamza Al-Mustapha, Abacha's Chief Security Officer, owned Diet Newspaper. For Niran to work for Diet then showed that he was not holding any view or opinion contrary to Abacha's government. So why was he arrested? This is a question for Mr. Niran to answer.

Anchor newspaper was a paper with prospect; the people who managed it killed a paper for tomorrow but unfortunately the dream. They betrayed the trust bestowed on them by the Publisher, used the paper to line their pockets and left Adeeyo with debt close to 40Mllion naira to settle. Poor Adeeyo is alone licking his wound now and Niran is now enjoying as a Commissioner in Ogun State. What a compensation for mismanagement. How do we appoint people to position of authority without a check on their past? This is an indication that our leaders are not serious, what we have is a government of settlement, "Area Boy government."

The Anchor on Sunday was publishing 8 pages of Independent of London, every week. I learnt Mr. Adeeyo paid £10,000 for this. The paper ranked among highest paid Newspaper Company in Nigeria, the standard it maintained for a year and half without advertisement.

Mr. Segun Babatope was on 100,000 Naira per month and Niran on 90,000 in Anchor. They had everything to themselves. Hired people anyhow and fixed salaries indiscriminately. For example as a senior correspondent I earned more than an editor in Anchor. I know of an editor with many years of experience that was on 23,000 Naira. There are many of my colleagues in Anchor who were on 20,000, 23,000 depending on who brought you. One of the saddest things that happened under the leadership of Babatope and Malaolu was the use of journalists as freelancers without pay. Femi Omolola, Wale Igibntade, Osasuyi, Emmanuel, David Apeh and others I cannot remember their names now worked for 11 months reporting for Anchor daily getting their bylines and never paid nor staffed till anchor was laid to rest. I knew what these guys went through, Mr. Bala Dan Abu the Editor of Newswatch is alive he has tales of woe to tell. In the duo stopped the weekly transport allowance for journalists saying that it was a privilege to give journalists transport allowance.

There are cases of advertisements published without record to show for payment in the account. An 80-year-old man was contracted by the duo as marketing consultant for the newspaper; they left Mr. Adeeyo to settle the bill. Early 2002, Ebun Aleshinloye, Dapo Aderinola (former Chief Press Secretary to murdered Bola Ige when he was Governor 1979-1983), who was called from retirement by Babatope and Niran, TJ (sports Editor), Joke Kujenya, were sacked. Why? They said they were irritants and pollutants. Kunle Fayemi the Editor protested and resigned they refused to answer him. Soji Omotunde was later appointed as the Editor of Daily Anchor. While this was going on, Niran was already processing a fellowship program abroad. By March it was getting tough paying staff salary, before the Publisher knew what was happening, the company owed workers' salaries for three months. The man wanted to stop production, but the duo of Babatope and Malaolu told Adeeyo to continue owing citing Comet Newspaper, but Adeeyo refused. But discovery later showed that Babatope and Niran Malaolu left The Anchor with a debt of 40 Million Naira for Adewale Adeeyo to settle. They also threw family men to the labour market. What is disturbing is that while working as Executive Director of Anchor, Mr. Niran was also the Public Relations Man for Otunba Gbenga Daniels, now Ogun state Governor. He used the newspaper for Daniel for free. According to findings after they left Anchor, they claimed 1.5 Million Naira for the Abuja office rent, when in actual fact it was 800,000 Naira. Akin Orimolade is still alive; the landlord is alive too. When they were to open the Ibadan office, the Publisher had wanted to use one of his family houses; the duo condemned the idea and eventually went to rent a house close to it at exorbitant rate.

While Mr. Adeeyo was left struggling with the crisis of debt left and unpaid workers salaries, the duo of Segun Babatope and Niran Malaolu were busy counting their gains. Niran cleverly arranged for himself a fellowship program in the US and left. A captain who abandons his ship and passengers on the high sea in storm! Can he tell the whole world how his wife got the money to set up the business center at the Women Development Center Agege?

Babatope and Malaolu did not allow the Anchor NUJ chapel, and it was the same NUJ that fought for Malaolu's release when Abacha jailed him.

The Anchor newspaper in its one and half years secured a place at the Headquarters of the United Nations and was featured in the in-house magazine of the United Nations, New York. It also got a personal letter of commendation from the United Nation's Secretary General Koffi Anan.

It is only in Nigeria that we have people like that holding position of authority because, their followers fail to ask questions, because those who appoint them are also like them. Appointment to such positions has never been based on merit, if it were, Mr. Niran is not even qualified to be the Chief Press Secretary. He doesn't have the credentials, apart from the fact that he does not have a good educational background, he lacks the morality to be the image maker of the State government because he does not have image himself. In his entire career, he has demonstrated high level of incompetence. Someone who suffers from inferiority complex. Because he does not have a University degree, no degree holder under him has any good idea. He does not have the credibility as a result the image of Ogun state government and its leadership is under serious question.

The State Security Service should have done a check on him but in a country like Nigeria, forget about that. We have a government of anything goes. He has started demonstrating the street wisdom proclaiming his boss' achievement in 100 days in office. Gbenga Daniels came in complaining of meeting debts inherited from his predecessor and within 100 days he has accomplished so much. With what? Where did the money surface? Is it that easy within 100 days? That the Governor stays late in office till 3:00 AM does not mean he is working in the interest of the state. What is in governing a State that he stays till 3:am in office? We know that is when hanger-on are settled. If the governor stays till 3:am he does not need commissioners working for him. What does he do, he is combining the duties of his commissioners to his own? I think the Governor should settle down for business and stop the cheap popularity. We are not interested in those cock and bull story. A leopard can never change its spot I cannot wait to see Niran exhibit the quality he is known for a destroyer rather than a builder.

How many Christian rich men can set up a multi-million Naira project and give the control to a Muslim? Mr. Adewale Adeeyo, a devout Muslim, did it and paid dearly with his investment. It may appear that Mr. Adeeyo has lost that my colleagues who were thrown into the labour market have lost, no they haven't. They would soon be vindicated.

The legend Afrobeat king called them Vagabond In Power.