The Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON) has appealed to the Federal Government to direct its agencies to patronise registered local printers so as to help boost the economy.
It also appealed to government to prevail on the ministers of information and that of justice to stop their agents from frustrating the smooth running of the Institute.
President of the Institute, Mr. Malomo Olugbemi, at a press conference in Lagos, catalogued the problems being face by the body of printers and concluded that they were ways of corruption fighting back, using the judiciary and the federal ministry of information.
The Institute argued that government agencies’ huge spending on printing does not translate into economic benefit for the printing industry except into the hands of companies that have nothing to do with printing and a few minority status quo that feed on the unregulated nature of the industry.
Olugbemi alleged agencies such as UBEC and INEC award billions of naira in cult manner for printing annually, majority of which works are done overseas adding nothing to the economic benefit of the local printing industry.
“When we came on board as members of the governing council of the institute, we set in motion plans, including a strategic framework that will turn the industry into a business ecosystem where the benefit that accrue from the industry will be a benefit for all.
“We came up with campaigns such as: Let Nigerian printing jobs remain in Nigeria and Printing jobs for printers only as a survival strategy targeted at government MDAs.”
In response, he alleged that some big printers especially in Abuja are using the courts and the Federal Ministry of Information to destabilize the printing industry in Nigeria because the Institute challenged the status quo in the industry and called them to accountability.
Trouble started in 2021 when the Institute’s election was stopped through a court injunction by one Jumoke Owoeye, claiming that she was disenfranchised, “even though her name was on the voters’ list.”
When the case was dismissed, and another election conducted, the same Owoeye went to court in Jalingo, Taraba State, to obtain another injunction stopping the election on the premise that the council had overstayed its tenure.
“Surprisingly, on 21 September, 2022, a judgment was awarded against us unexpectedly, sacking the council and barring members from contesting in future election.
“The court also asked a co-defendant in the suit, among those sacked, who was nominated as one of the minister of information’s five nominees, by name Tommy Ittu, to run the affairs of the Institute and conduct election within three months.”
“In spite of the fact that the judgement was immediately challenged by the filing of an appeal and stay of execution of the judgement on 23 September, 2022, and the Minister and Mr Ittu served on 29 September 2022, Mr Ittu went ahead to proclaim himself Sole Administrator. There is no such provision in the Act that set up the Institute. Even the role of the Minister is clearly spelt out.
According to Olugbemi, who was flanked by CIPPON’s first Vice President, Babajide Salako; second Vice President, Ademuyiwa Oluwole and Council members Mrs Rotimi Adeaga and Mr Kayode Alonge, the minister’s representative ignored the notice of appeal and stay of execution served him to write to the Institute’s bankers asking that the account be suspended.
He also issued a paid press release in a national newspaper, giving a 24-hour notice of election and introducing a delegate system which is foreign to the provision of the Act and thereby opening the door for non-members of the Institute to be part of the election.
“Meanwhile, the trial judge for our appeal at the Jalingo High Court has been transferred. The information we have is that he has left with the records thereby frustrating our appeal. CIPPON believes all these are being done in a bid for corruption and status quo fighting back,” Olugbemi said.