The Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Ondo State Council, has suspended its planned picketing of the office of Owens Press, publisher of The Hope Newspaper over anti-workers’ policies by the new Managing Director, Kayode Fasua.
The suspension is contained in a statement issued by the Union Chairman, Leke Adegbite and Secretary, Olaoluwa Meshack, on Sunday.
Fasua, who was appointed in October 2024, was alleged to have “illegally employed his incompetent friend as Editor, engaged a lady who just completed a Diploma course as News Editor and recruited his daughter as the Accountant of the organisation without following due process.”
The new Managing Director was also accused of “demoting the organisation’s Editor, the Assistant Editor, the News Editor and redeployed others without no reason while Fasua has continued to threaten, harass and intimidate the workers especially News Department staff.”
Thefrontrank reports that Fasua, who began his journalism career at The Hope Newspaper as a Reporter in 1996, took over from the immediate pass Chairman/Managing Director, Sir Ademola Adetula, who served the organisation meritoriously for over seven years and ensure the growth of the organisation.
NUJ in a notice at the weekend had said that it could no longer accept the “poor administrative skills” of Fasua.
Suspending its planned picketing in less than 24 hours of issuing the notice, the Union in a statement titled “Ondo NUJ: Suspension of planned picketing of Owena Press Office” said that Fasua had agreed reversing all obnoxious policies he introduced in the organisation within his short period in office.
NUJ said: “The planned action scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, 20th January 2025, was suspended following the peaceful resolution of the impasse that provoked the earlier notice.
“The terms of resolution included the reversal of earlier redeployment of the Editor and other top editorial staff and proper respect for public service regulations in the organization.
“While we promise not to renege on our mandate to protect the interests of our members and that of Owena Press as a public media outfit.
“We thank all journalists, Ondo State labour leaders, top government’s officials and other well-meaning people who had waded into the impasse to ensure timely and peaceful resolution.”
