The issue revolves around the appointment of a permanent General Manager (GM). Workers have accused the board chairman, Ebenezer Okorodudu, and the acting GM, Godfrey Ubaka, of colluding to bypass established procedures for the GM appointment.
A crisis is said to be brewing at the Delta Printing and Publishing Corporation (DPPC), publishers of The Pointer newspapers.
The issue revolves around the appointment of a permanent General Manager (GM). Workers have accused the board chairman, Ebenezer Okorodudu, and the acting GM, Godfrey Ubaka, of colluding to bypass established procedures for the GM appointment.
The workers have reportedly finalized plans to halt operations until the issues surrounding the appointment of a new general manager are resolved.
The acting general manager is set to retire on February 16, 2025. According to the organization's established practice, the three most senior officers at grade level 17 should be shortlisted for consideration.
However, the board chairman of the newspaper and the outgoing acting general manager allegedly colluded for personal interests, expanding the shortlist to 10 officers from grade levels 15 to 17 for screening on January 29, 2025— a move that contradicts the organization's standard procedure.
A letter by the National Union Of Printing, Publishing, Products And Paper Workers (NUPPPPROW); Delta Printing and Publishing Corporation (DPPC); The Pointer Chapel Asaba, signed by its chairman, Joy Fasindor; vice chairman, Clifford Obuseh, and assistant secretary, Fidelis Asuelimen, addressed to the board chairman and Executive Director of Project (EDP) of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Ebenezer Okorodudu, warned that the extant procedure of the organization must be respected and followed to the letter.
The letter which was copied to the state information commissioner, Head of Service and state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), threatened to shut down operations if the board chairman refuses to do the needful by following the laid down practice of appointing a substantive General Manager for the company.
The letter reads, "We refer you to our earlier letter of 10th December 2024 and another delivered to you on 21st January, 2025, both of which requested your board to shortlist the three most senior officers of Delta Printing & Publishing Corporation (DPPC) for submission to relevant authority for appointment as the General Manager.
"Our insistence on the compilation of the three most senior officers is in line with the extant procedure which was instrumental to the appointment of two Acting General Managers, first in the person of Mr. Sam Ijeh in September 2023 and the outgoing Acting General Manager, Mr. Godfrey Ubaka, who's due to vacate office on February 16, 2025.
“Instead of a response to the two letters, the Board has invited officers on Grade Level 15-17 for screening on January 29, 2025, with a view to picking an individual as part of a seeming predetermined agenda.
"This development is unacceptable to our Union as it's not only strange but also susceptible to manipulation by people with vested interests in the Corporation. Flowing from the above, we urge the Board to respond to our letters before 9am, then rescind its decision on the proposed screening and follow the precedent of compiling the names of three most senior officers or force the Union to declare a trade dispute and shutdown the services of members of our Union by 9am."
SaharaReporters learned that the Office of the Head of Service had allegedly criticized the new shortlisting process for selecting a substantive General Manager, which was introduced by the board chairman and the outgoing acting General Manager of the company.
When contacted regarding the issue, the outgoing acting General Manager, Godfrey Ubaka, denied any involvement in the shortlisting of 10 officers from grade levels 15 to 17, stating that it was not his responsibility, as the supervising ministry and the board were in charge of the process.
However, Ubaka urged those he described as troublemakers to reconsider their actions, adopt a more peaceful approach to life, and focus on salvation rather than worldly concerns.