Abdulkareem Haruna

— Jan 7, 2016 3:39 am

Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), yesterday, responded to its alleged involvement in the sharing of the controversial arms deal fund, saying that it never collected any money from the office of the former national security adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki.

The professional media body said the N50 million they collected from the officials of the past government, was the public donation former President Goodluck Jonathan made on the 10th of April, 2015 during the public fund raising for the building of the Guild’s office; and that the redeemed pledge did not come from the office of the NSA

National President of NGE, Garba Deen Mohammed, said this in a statement issued to the press yesterday.

He said the NGE had on April 10, 2015, held a fundraising dinner at the Transcorps Hilton Hotel, Abuja, to raise N850m for the construction of a befitting secretariat in Abuja, to be called The Editors Plaza.

“It was a public event, attended by several dignitaries among them federal cabinet ministers, state governors and captains of industry or their representatives,” said the NGE president.

“Former President Goodluck Jonathan was invited to the event at which he was represented by the former Minister of Information and National Orientation Mr. Labaran Maku.

“At the event, Mr. Maku, among other donors, publicly pledged N50million as the federal government’s contribution towards the building project. Indeed the announcement of this donation has been on the website of the NGE since April 12, 2014; and is still there for those who may wish to verify.”

http://leadership.ng/news/489550/not-collect-n50m-dasukis-arms-deal-money-nge

Go and defend your self in court... Abeg,return our money... Boys are not smiling...

Okay na

Lobatan! Obaigbena come counter this explanation. Is it true or false

I think they should just return the money. What's their business with'Plaza' business?
No wonder the press messed up during the elections. If NGE has already been comprised through a subtle bribe what will their organizations and journalists now do?
Return our money joor,Ole olosha

modath:

Almost Acceptable explanation, still doesn't negate the fact that the act of receiving money from the government is totally wrong...

It is a subtle way of tying press hands, aswear! They know it but greed no go gree!

Nduka Obaigbena's mud didn't stick though, he should on behalf of the wailers' throw another one..

You are right. Pressmen and the media are expected to be the conscience of the public. Accepting gifts whether material or not is unethical and could compromise their position

Boss13:


You are right. Pressmen and the media are expected to be the conscience of the public. Accepting gifts whether material or not is unethical and could compromise their position

Can be likened to a mum who has a wayward daughter or a thug son & receives stipend from that child, when the time for correction / reprimand beckons, how will it work?

For the love Of every good thing, why does the GOE need a secretariat? Are they not members of NUJ? can't they make do with what the NUJ has provided? Of what benefit is it to their craft

To show class i believe!

But we are in Nigeria, where the totally absurd is "explainable" & "justifiable" wnough that one will wonder if one isn't a freak of nature with one's stand!

its oky

Ayam coming

Go and tell the judges. We are not interested

These NGE guys are beating about the bush. We are not asking about the pledge. We are asking about the payment itself.

We know it was the presidency who pledged to donate N50m to them but was the payment done through the office of the NSA or not? Was the payment in cash or via transfer?

The other guys being probed would also claim the presidency made the promise. But the question is who made the payment (Was it Dasuki?) and from which source (Was is from the Arms Fund?). They should certainly know whether it was Dasuki who paid them the money or not. They should come clean.