NUP DISSOCIATES SELF FROM DIVERSION OF RICE AS REPORTED BY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPERS.¶
By Yahaya Zakka Minna.
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has dissociated itself from the Newsline Report of the diversion of 1200 bags donated by All Progressive Congress (APC), Governorship Candidate, Hon Mohammed Umar Bago.
Executives of NUP led by the Vice Chairman, Mahmud Ahmed Wushishi stated this when he led other members to Newsline yesterday to demand the retraction and for the real version of the story to be told.
Wushishi said the NUP was not given any rice, rather it was the Pressure Group of Pensioners that were 1200 bags of 25k of rice and 600 as contained in the report.
He said that the report has caused them a lot of embarrassment and suspicion among its members and calls for immediate apology and retraction of the story.
The Vice Chairman said that it was the kind heart of Hon Bago who saw the Pressure Group of the pensioners at the Government House protesting and he made the donation to them.
The 1200 bags of rice was shared by the Joint Action Committee of the Pressure Group in accordance with the strength of other groups.
Local Government Pensioners got the highest allocation of 525 bags, Pressure were given 425 bags, retired Directors Forum received 105, NUP executives 5 bags, CPS got 32 bags as NAWOJ and NUJ were given 2 and 3 bags respectively.
The also debunk receiving N5m from the APC flag bearer, saying that it was the Director’s Forum that received N2m during their annual General Meeting from the Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial Flag bearer, Alhaji Isah Liman Kantigi.
The management of Newsline Newspaper through the acting managing Director, Alh Mohammed Mohmmed apologized to the Union and assured them that such will not repeat and assured them that balancing of story will be treated with uttermost concern.
Mohammed appreciated NUP for choosing to resolve the matter amicably and promised them more corporation and partnership.
He said that there was no way that the paper will ridicule senior citizens of the state since all workers will retire and join them, saying that he share in their pains and struggle which is worrisome because sooner or later he will join their fold.
The leadership of NUP accepted the apology and commended the organization for coming back to the street and urged the management to maintain the tempo.
