Governor Chukwuma Soludo has shut down the Anambra Printing and Publishing Corporation (ANPC), publishers of National Light Newspaper, Ka o di Taa (Igbo newspaper) Sportslight Extra (Sport newspaper). National Light was the corporation’s flagship.
In a memo dated 21, July 2023 from the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), addressed to the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, ANPC, Sir Chuka Nnabuife asked him to start the winding down of the corporation activities that would lead to the disengagement of its staff.
The memo addressed among other issues reasons for its closure as being moribund, economically unviable, and no longer fit for purpose.
A follow-up letter dated 21 July 2023, was issued late this afternoon from the Office of the Head of Service (HoS) to Sir Nnabuife. The memo informed of the corporation shutdown with effect from 1st September 2023.
The two memos which were read to the staff of the corporation this afternoon, left staff in shock. They queried Gov. Soludo’s motivation for the closure of the corporation.
They spoke of Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo State resuscitating the state-owned newspaper, Statesman. The also noted other state-owned newspapers running. And wondered why Gov. Soludo whose workers’ expectation was making the newspapers more viable and nationally accepted.
They asked where his SOLUTION mantra lies. Since he promised fixing anything broken during his electionaring campaign as professor of economics, “he should make the place more viable and not shutting it down others queried.”
It was gathered that despite several pleas from some commissioners that Gov. Soludo was bent on destroying the paper’s legacy, the pride of the state. Insiders informed that Gov. Soludo wants to use the corporation’s expansive premises for an amusement park, which they allegedly said was connected to his family but under the guise of the state government public-private initiative.
The National Light is Nigeria’s longest-running thriving state-owned newspaper. It prides itself on never being hiatus for once, compared to other states’ newspapers, it has been publishing for more than 30 years.
Below are the two memos;
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