Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Industrial Court orders Olojede’s company to pay ex-staff by April 6


Honourable Justice B. B. Kanyip of the  National Industrial Court of Nigeria,  Lagos Judicial Division, has ordered Timbuktu Media, the media organization owned by Pulitzer award winning reporter Dele Olojede, to pay on or before April 6, 2013, six ex-staff of the company who challenged Olojede’s company to court for wrongful termination of appointments and nonpayment of entitlements.

The staff include Olukayode Thomas who asked the court to compel Olojede’s company to pay his entitlements. Thomas resigned from Timbuktu Media in April 2010, he decided to go to court in April 2011 when Olojede refused to keep several promises he had made to pay all his entitlements.

The five others are Opeyemi Nyela Olus, Ireyimika Esther Oyegbami, Ayodamola Olufunto Owoseye, Olusola Richard Babarinsa and Bolade Olusegun Oladoye who sued Timbuktu Media for wrongful termination of employment and refusal of the company to pay their entitlements.

In his judgment, His Lordship Kanyip ordered Timbuktu Media to pay the claimants their entitlement, general damages and cost of legal action on or before April 6, 2013.

The six former staff of Timbuktu Media were represented by Olugbuyiro Akinola, Mrs. Bukola Adetunji and Miss O. A. Animashaun.

Timbuktu Media, the brainchild of Dele Olojede, debuted as an online publication 234next.com in 2008, before Next on Sunday and Next Daily hit the newsstands shortly after.

Olojede claimed that the medium was set to be the voice of the people, but a combination of factors, including bad management, unsustainable  salary, reckless spending, poor marketing strategy and lack of advertisement patronage led to the publications being rested.

Olojede according to close associates is working hard to return the newspaper to the newsstands.

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