A group operated by President Goodluck Jonathan’s key ministers has spent about N2 billion to run newspaper and radio/television advertisements defending the Federal Government’s aborted petrol subsidy withdrawal, Daily Trust investigation has shown.
The Neighbor to Neighbor Initiative (N2N), a political group formed in the run up to the 2011 election to campaign for Jonathan, placed the advertisements and jingles starting immediately after the government announced ending fuel subsidies on New Year’s Day and went for about three weeks.

Most of the major national newspapers, public and private television networks as well as radio stations run the adverts, which mainly contained messages about the potential benefits of the deregulation policy.

Some of the advertisements also went starkly political, whipping up sectional sentiments.

The Neighbor to Neighbor Initiative was formed by Mrs. Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, now Aviation minister; Mr. Godsay Orubebe, now Minister of Niger Delta; and King Amalate Johnnic, according to records obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja.

It was registered as a non-governmental organisation on April 1, 2011, with Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, Orubebe and Johnnic as trustees.

But there was no evidence directly linking the three to payment of the N2 billion pro-subsidy removal adverts run in newspapers and broadcast stations in the first three weeks of last month.

Press secretary to Orubebe, Ms. Juliet Archibong, declined to comment when contacted. She instead referred our reporter to one Mr Donald, who she said was among people running the affairs of Neigbour to Neigbour.

Source: http://dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153687%3Ajonathan-group-spends-n2bn-on-subsidy-adverts&catid=2%3Alead-stories&Itemid=8