Two staff die of ailment as THISDAY fails to pay salary

April 2013 will make it four months thet one of Nigeria’s most seemingly successful newspaper, THISDAY, has not paid its staff.
Sources within the company told The Eagle Online that this development has started having negative impact on the staff.
It was learnt that two members of staff have died within weeks because they could not foot their hospital bills when they took ill.
This was in spite of the fact that they demanded for their salaries in order to pay their hospital bills.
Those who died were Pastor Agaga Silver, a staff in the maintenance sector of the Lagos office; and the Gombe State Correspondent, Saka Ibrahim.
Ibrahim died last weekend.
Again, no fewer than three members of staff and family members are reportedly still sick in the hospital and are unable to continue with treatment because of unpaid salaries.
For instance, the Cross River State Government had to take up the case of the state correspondent of THISDAY, Jude Okwe, who has kidney problem.
The Bayelsa State Correspondent, Segun James, whose wife has been sick had to practically relocate to the Lagos head office before he was handed some paltry sum, it was learnt.
Sources said the situation in the company is tense and it appears the company has become insolvent because of the funds being pumped into the new project of the Chairman/Editor-in-Chief, Nduka Obaigbena, Arise TV.
A source within the company told The Eagle Online: “The chairman has refused to learn from the failure of THISDAY South Africa by consolidating on THISDAY Nigeria and strengthening the platform.
“It is also sad that all the cleaners have left except for a few that are still hopeful of their pay.”
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the printers’ union, NUPPROW, is, again, planning to picket the company next week.
The union had last year picketed the company also over unpaid salaries.