By Aplefe Ojong
The management of Cross River State Newspaper Corporation (CRSNC), Publishers of Nigerian and Weekend Chronicle has issued quit notices to two former General Managers of the corporation occupying its property located at A94 and A96 3rd Avenue, State Housing Estate, Calabar, the State capital.
The two former General Managers are, Mr. Dominic Kidzu and his successor, Mr, Timothy, Ogbang Akwaji, who is now the Permanent Secretary, Department of Chieftaincy Affairs.
The quit notices which were signed by the current Acting General Manager of the Corporation, Mr. Emmanuel Akpong, were served on the duo last week.
Our Correspondent in Calabar reports that the quit notices gave Mr. Kidzu up to July 17,2015 to vacate the property, while Mr. Akwaji was given up to September 1, 2015 to leave the three-bed room apartment.
It was also learnt that the action of management was to enable serving senior Editorial and Administrative staff of the corporation to take possession of the two separate three bedroom bungalows.
Our correspondent however gathered that the action of the management was not unconnected to the alleged illegal purchase of the property without the knowledge of the management and the sitting Board of Directors of the Corporation.
Worried by the realization of the purported sale, the management had to place a Caveat Emptor on the front page of the Nigerian Chronicle and Weekend Chronicle respectively, warning the public against entering into any transaction on the property as it had no intention to sell them.
We were told at the corporation that the alleged house purchase scandal was blown open by a-6-man inventory committee constituted by management to carry out the inventory of the corporation which visited the State Ministry of Lands as part of its findings to establish the ownership status of the corporation property.
While presenting the written report to the Management of the Newspaper Corporation, the General Manager was informed thus, “The committee was told by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry that the two houses were sold to their occupiers at the cost of N7.5 million each by the former Commissioner for Lands, Surveyor Ralph Uche following the alleged approval of the former governor, Senator Liyel Imoke,”
The source however queried; “even if they secured the approval of the governor, were they supposed to have applied for the purchase of the two houses through the governor without passing through the management and the board?
“The unfortunate thing is that the house purchase deal was conducted when Kidzu was the General Manager and Akwaji was the next in command, being the Editor-In-Chief, then,” the sources added.
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