Information available to 247ureports.com indicates that Champion Newspaper has shut down.
This is following a decision at a meeting held at the Champion Newspaper head office in Lagos on Tuesday April 30, 2013 between the entire staff and the management. All workers were asked to vacate the premises for a minimum of ten [10] days beginning from May2, 2013 till May 13, 2013. The newspaper will not print in this ten days.
According to the information made available, the Champion Newspaper had been experiencing dire financial hardships in recent years – owing largely to its incestuous relationship with the then Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] Obasanjo Administration.
Between 2010 and 2012, the Newspaper financial troubles piqued – resulting to the non-payment of salaries – and abandonment of duties by white and blue collar workers. In particular, the journalists employed by the newspaper tell 247ureports.com that the company owed them over 10months salary.
Worsening matters, the founder of the Newspaper, after going into retirement opted to tap on his daughter, Nwadiuto Iheakanwa to take over the position of Managing Director [MD] of the newspaper. The staff of the Newspaper reveal that she was brought in to the company as a figure head – without any knowledge or experience of journalism or management. One of the staff pointed to the current Executive Director [ED] of Operations as the real head – a fellow by the name Sam Ibemere.
According to a source inside the Newspapers, “there was a time Iwuanyanwu wanted to bring somebody to help the daughter man the company by Sam Ibemere convinced him not to, that he will help the daughter“. As a result, Sam Ibemere made himself “a thin god”.
The source continues, “because the MD doesn’t know anything about running a media house, the ED has taken over the place, manipulating everything. The head office has become a shadow of itself, most of the staff have left and the few remaining are over worked. The paper comes late to most cities in Nigeria on a daily basis“
247ureports.com learnt that the staff of the Newspaper had laid their protest against the working conditions through the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]. They had threatened to down tools but the newspaper management pleaded for more time. The plea resulted to more abandonment by the staff of the company. Most of the operation staff left leaving behind only two – [which accounts for the late arrival of newspapers across the country.
