By; Abdull-Azeez Ahmed Kadir, Kaduna.
The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has vowed to rescucitate, restructure the New Nigerian Newspapers (NNN) to meet the challenges of the modern time, same with Kaduna Textiles and New Nigerian Development Company.
In a communique after a one day meeting in Kaduna, the forum Chairman said no definite decision has been taken yet, but there a recommendations from which the they would pick.
The recommendations are; public private partnership and splitting the company into three independent subsidiaries namely; Newspaper production, Printing and Publishing Company, and commercial property. Total liquidation of the company and all its landed property to settle its liabilities once and for all.
They also revealed that the total liabilities of the company stood at about 3.8 billion naira and still growing, while its asset values stood at over five billion naira.
Shettima said “the Forum carefully considered its options and thoroughly looked into all the political, economic and historical implication. It then resolved to partially restructure the company through disposing some of its viable asset to settle its liabilities and restart as a new media outfit. The Forum also agreed to assist the company financially to attain its noble objective”
He however stressed that viability of newspaper business globally is dwindling and the option of on-line, television among others could be exploited.
On Kaduna Textile Limited, he said a Switzerland textile company was engaged as consultants to restructure the company and has identified strategic partners. “There was the need to support the company by making same arrangements with the FGN as the government of Sudan” that gave a textile company their Armed Forces uniform manufacturing.
On NNDC, the Forum said it “noted the company’s proposed areas of investments, particularly in the agric sector, it therefore directed the management of the company to liaise with Tanimu Yakubu, the consultant engaged by the Forum with a view to drawing up a road map towards reviving the sector in the region”.
The Forum said it also deliberated on the report of the Committee of Attorney-Generals and Commissioners of Justice of the Northern States on the review of the criminal justice system in the region.
It also “noted with concern the emergence and proliferation of Islamic religious sects in some parts of Northern Nigerian whose doctrines are repugnant to Qur’anic injunctions and Islamic jurisprudence”.
Consequently, the Forum considered the following strategies; “establishment of a regulatory mechanism to consistently monitor activities of newly registered and unregistered religious organisation, establishment of a mechanism to ascertain the sources of their funds both locally and internationally. Monitor the activities of new Islamic schools established by any of the sects, as well as scrutinising their curriculum; facilitating ways of issuing certificates or licenses to prospective preachers; and ensuring that all Islamic schools and other religious organisations are duly registered by Government, and the closure of unregistered ones”.
