By J. O. Agbeniga
The interview with Alhaji Abiola Ayankunbi in which he narrated his experience as a staff of circulation department of the Punch Nigeria Limited, has provoked the first reaction.
The reaction/rejoinder is coming from Republic of Ireland based J. O. Agbeniga who disagreed with some content of the interview and as the norm in journalism, we decided to give his rejoinder an equal space. We are reproducing the rejoinder verbatim.
…Tunde Abatan, Executive Editor
Agbeniga
“I read your recent interview with Mr. Abiola Ayankunbi, former senior circulation executive of Punch Nigeria Limited and was attracted to his reference to my contribution to the prosecution of the “war” during the face off between Newspapers Distributors Association of Nigeria (NDAN) and Punch Nigeria Limited over the latter unsold policy.
I am reacting to the inaccuracies and falsehood therein for the reason that he mentioned my name and portrayed me in bad light. For unknown reason to me, Ayankunbi denigrated me and impugn my contributions in the prosecution of the “war” which was successfully won during my tenure as the senior circulation manager and the head of the department.
The statement credited to him in the interview and which unarguably portrayed me in the eyes of reasonable members of the public as an incompetent manager is below:
“Mr.J. O. Agbeniga, former senior circulation manager and later Corporate Affairs manager was sent to Ibadan but nothing so much was achieved until Gani Kayode Balogun, then deputy advert manager who is presently the Osi Are Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland was sent there and made a tremendous progress”.
“I was only the second in command in the department. My boss was Adetomiwa Olorunsola. However I became more visible when my boss decided to take a back seat so that he can direct the operation appropriately”.
I have no doubt that any management, senior or circulation staff in the Lagos headquarters of the Punch at that time who is privileged to read his account above would be shocked.
The verifiable fact is that Ayankunbi was the senior circulation executive of Punch based in Portharcout, Rivers State during the face off and was NOT in Lagos state as he wanted people to believe, except in his dream. Adetomiwa Olorunsola was the then deputy manager and the most senior staff next to me in the department. Is it not contradictory and pure falsehood for Ayankunbi to describe himself as “second in command in the department” when he was actually in Porharcourt doing his work as the senior circulation executive? If truthfully he was the second in command in the department and Olorunsola was the deputy manager under me, what was my own position in the department?
It will however interest people to know that the planning and the execution of the “war” was a joint effort of the entire management and staff under the Punch Managing Director/Editor-in Chief, Mr. Ademola Osinubi. Also, Chief Ajibola Ogunsola, Chairman of the Board of Directors regularly attend the management meetings. A budget was approved for my department to prosecute the war and I controlled the disbursement. Olorunsola is still alive to corroborate this information. The editor of The Punch, Mr. Azubuike Izhiekwene, wrote the Lagos state commissioner of police to provide us with security. The request was granted. The leader of the police team reported to me for deployment to the various routes.
Ayankunbi
We started the direct sales in Lagos and I led the operations to Oshodi which was the base of the president of the Distributors Association while the deputy manager led his own team to Lagos island. Olorunsola was attacked in Lagos but the police Sergeant (aka Sango) who followed my team to Oshodi was ruthless with the riotous distributors who determined to destroy our product. I “mobilized” some of the friendly distributors in batches at secret locations and at different time. The distributors eventually lost the war against Punch in Lagos State. But it was not easy. Their leader and his executive planned the confrontation but we had a better arrangement on ground.
For the purpose of emphasis, I decided to lead the Ibadan team for the singular reason that I knew Ibadan very well. First, as a one-time reporter with the Nigerian Tribune before I rose to become the old Oyo State Editor of Punch when I joined the company. I believed strongly too that I would be able to leverage on my friendly disposition and popularity in the state as a journalist. Therefore, it is untrue that I was sent to Ibadan. What Ayankunbi didn’t know is that the management of Punch doesn’t interfere with your administrative strategy. You will be provided all you need to succeed but if you fail, you’ll “carry the can” alone. That was the policy. So nobody interfered with our strategy to win the war but I was giving the update on daily basis. Infact, Chief Ogunsola said at one of our meetings that he didn’t expect me as the head of the department to join others to market Punch on the street but I remarked that I love to lead by example.
The deputy advert manager, Mr. Gani Balogun, a respectful gentleman, was among the team members on the Ibadan axis. I displyed Punch on the front bonnet of my Peugeot 504 GL car and held a few copies in my selling as a street vendor. I covered a section of Challenge area before I moved to Iwo road area the second day. Dr. Lekan Aare, a director of Punch saw me at the Challenge area selling.
At Iwo road, one vendor leaked information that some of their members wanted to beat me with charm “juju”. I reported the incident to Top Banji who was the local president of their association. He called a meeting of their leaders at Oke Padre area and doused the tension. I returned to Lagos office on the third day to continue the national coordination while the other members of the sales team remained in Ibadan. The Ibadan distributors’ solidarity broke down because their Lagos state counterparts could not sustain the initial success recorded before we broke their ranks.
Where did Ayankunbi feature in the planning and execution of the “war” between Punch and distributors/ agents’ in Lagos and Oyo state respectively? If he sold Punch, maybe as a vendor before he joined Punch as a staff but definitely not during the confrontation distributors had with us over unsold policy.
I thought Ayankunbi would remember that it was during my tenure as the head of circulation department of Punch that the newspaper won the most circulating newspapers in Nigeria for three consecutive times. He would have found out from the then editors of the three titles namely: The Punch, Saturday Punch and Sunday Punch respectively my input during production period, rather than arrogantly claiming credit for the job he didn’t perform in Lagos or South West for Punch Nigeria Limited during my tenure as the head of the department.
I also think he would one day admit how many times he book hotel accommodation for me in Portharcourt during my official visit as his departmental head.
Nevertheless, Ayankunbi had no problem with me at anytime while working under me as his senior manager because, like many of his colleagues in other states do, he sent his daily/monthly sales reports promptly to enable us determine subsequent production figures across the country.
I wish him well.”
Dear sir,
Kindly permit me to say one or two things on this matter:one,this incident happened between 2001/2002.I was a circulation executive representing Lagos Island,two,Mr Adetomiwa was the circulation manager which Abiola Ayankunbi was the assistant circulation manager,south west.
Mr Agbeniga was the Senior manager,public affairs and marketing.
The battle happened between the punch and Newspaper association on the issue of unsold policy. It was a serious battle but if you need the details of what happened,I can narrate the scenarios because it was my department that handled the matter. Thanks
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