By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Listen To The Report
A former employee of the Punch Newspaper has made a public appeal asking Hon. Eta Mbora, Member Representing Calabar/Odukpani Federal Constituency to pay a debt he owed him since October of 2013.
Mr. Nseobong Brown who said the debt was incurred while Mbora was still the Chairman of Calabar Municipal Local Government, accused the legislator of refusing heed to all previous appeals.
“I am Nseobong Brown, a former Advert Executive with the Punch Nigeria Limited, writing to seek the help of well-meaning Nigerians, especially to draw the attention of the House Committee on Ethics, to plead with Hon. Eta Mbora, member representing Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency in the current National Assembly, to pay me the sum of Six Hundred and Fourteen Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty naira, being an outstanding advert debt owed me since October, 2013 to date.
“On September 25th, 2013, Hon. Eta Mbora, who was the sitting Council Chairman of Calabar Municipal Government, approached me as the executive representing The Punch Nigeria Limited in Calabar, through his press secretary, Mr. Isaac Oqua, and placed a full page color congratulatory message in Punch Newspaper to mark the Nation’s independence day celebration.
“No portion of this amount was paid because of the negotiation and understanding between Hon. Eta Mbora through his Press Secretary, Isaac Oqua and me was that the total sum was going to be paid three days after publication.” He said.
Nseobong revealed that trouble started after the advert had been placed, as the then Council Chairman refused repeated calls to pay the debt.
“Three days after the publication of the advert, I wrote a reminder to Hon. Eta Mbora to pay the debt, but he bluntly ignored the reminder despite repeated calls and correspondences.”.
Nseobong further added that the amount has been deducted from his salary and he subsequently lost his job because of the debt.
“Refusal to pay this debt had caused Punch to deduct the debt from my salary, throwing me and my family into untold and severe hardship. To add salt to injury, I have been asked to resign owing to the fact that I was unable to remit the money in whole as I promised.”
Nseobong pleaded with well meaning Nigerians and the political class to put pressure on Mbora to pay off the debt.