PLATEAU PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION (PPA),NO 4 SECRETARIAT LINK JOS PLATEAU STATE.RE: IPA DISTANCES SELF FROM DOPPA'S NEPOTISTIC APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF PUBLISHERS - PPA's RESPONSE: ENOUGH OF SHABUL'S RECKLESS AND WAYWARD ACCUSATIONS!

Plateau Publishers Association (PPA) is compelled to respond to Shabul Mazadu's (Independent Publishers Association, IPA) Chairman's unreaseanable, baseless, unnecessary assault on Dr Gyang Bere, the Director of Press and Public Affairs (DOPA) to the Executive Governor of Plateau State,  and the PPA.

For the umpteenth time, Shabul Mazadu, Publisher of The Beacon Newspaper, has attacked and maligned the name of the PPA, Prince Daniel John Bok, Godfrey Sunwar, and Philip Zhattau, yet we chose to tow the path of peace and mature reasoning not to respond either as an association, or as individuals, because we are an association driven by ethics and decorum .But this case seems different; and urgently warrants a purposeful rebuttal,since our silence has been misconstrued for cowardice.

OUR LOGICAL RESPONSE:.

In Mazadu's childish assault, 

1."The Independent Publishers Association, IPA, hereby expresses with total dismay the disgraceful treatment meted to its members by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Gyang Bere, who invited them to a media parley with Governor Caleb Mutfwang, and then presented his kinsman, Daniel Bok as the chairman of all Plateau Publishers".

OUR REPONSE;

The disgraceful treatment meted on the IPA members by the DOPA as claimed, is nothing short of misinformation to the public. The anchor of the press briefing, happens to be a seasoned Journalist, Mr Kenze Gupar, who work under the Protocol Department, set and established the protocol for the occasion even before the DOPA arrived the venue of the event. 

As part of the protocol, the Chairperson of the NUJ, Mrs Ayuku Pwaspo, Chairman of Bloggers Association, Mr Matthew Tegha, and Prince Daniel John Bok were duely recognised as leaders of the various associations. 

So, it wasn't the DOPPA, Dr Gyang Bere,  who established the protocol.

Secondly, Prince Daniel John Bok has served meritoriously as Interim Chairman of the PPA for the past 6 months and now seeking election as substantive Chairman. Before then, he has coordinated the unity of all Publishers on the Plateau, firstly, when Chief Nanya Daman, Publisher of Newsgate Magazine (ousted Interim chairman of the PPA) lost his wife. Bok successfully united the publishers and tokens were contributed towards the burial of late Mrs Joan Daman.

So,  his recognition as chairman of all publishers was not a new thing to all the publishers.

2. "We didn't react in the hall yesterday by means of protest, because of the respect we accord the governor whom we believe was ignorant of Bere's scheme, and for the dignitaries and the entire government that were present".

OUR TAKE:

What was there to react to? The Government has always drummed it to the Publishers to unite for easy assessment, but, because, Shabul Mazadu lost out as interim Chairman of the PPA due to highhandedness and incompetence, he decided to break away from the PPA, to form a kangaroo association called IPA. Permit us to say at this point that the PPA is the only publishers' association on the Plateau that is duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and has a well constituted a Board of Trustees with four of them working with the PPA's Prince Daniel John Bok.

3. "It's a known fact to Bere that the publishers in Plateau have no single umbrella, but different groups which are Plateau Publishers Association 1, headed by Chief Ambassador Nanyah Daman, Plateau Publishers Association 2, which had Daniel Bok as chairman, but dissolved the chairmanship and other positions to conduct elections, Independent Publishers Association, IPA, with Shabul Mazadu as chairman, and others who did not align with any group. To our chagrin, Bere, before national and international cameras, Plateau State Governor, Commissioners and other government's appointees and huge number of journalists, arranged the recognition of Daniel Bok as the chairman of all publishers on the Plateau, gave him a special seat and made him snap picture with the governor, which is historical". 

The only PPA on the Plateau was headed by Chief Nanya Daman, as an interim Chairman, he is a BoT member of PPA. He was appointed by Chief Amos Gizo (BoT Chairman) who was then spearheading affairs of the association because the then only elected Chairman, Chief Hosea Nash had other commitments and voluntarily resigned his position as Chairman of PPA, Daniel Bok being Nash Vice Chairman, was asked to assume position of Chairman but he declined, so, Gizo who was contesting for governorship of Plateau State had no luxury of time to attend to affairs of the association, decided to hand over to chief Nanya Daman as interim Chairman in 2022, though the PPA constitution clearly states that a BoT member CANNOT hold or contest any elective position. Daman was to supretend over PPA for 6 months and conduct an election within the 6 months aloted to him. However, he ran the association as a personal family business and unjustifiably held the office for 3 years instead of 6 months. Within that period of 3 years, PPA had only 3 or 4 congress meetings which was against PPA constitution, more so , activities where grounded by his lack of good leadership.therefore when PPA members woke up from their slumber, unfolding events compelled them to meet and he was eventually impeached as Interim Chairman of PPA. Prince Daniel John Bok was unanimously elected as interim Chairman of PPA in January 2025 to serve for 6months and conduct elections.

Going by this, the DOPPA has no hand in the affairs of PPA, there is no PPA 2. Daman has since been parading himself as PPA National Chairman PPA, for avoidance of doubt, it must be clearly reiterated that PPA is only domiciled in Plateau and has no national body.

Where is Mazadu going with this notion since he Broke away from PPA, what business does he have with PPA?

 

4. Dr Gyang Bere is in no way related to Prince Daniel John Bok. We hope Shabul Mazadu can prove his misleading allegation on this in the court of law when the need arises, because this amounts to false and misleading allegation against an innocent law abiding individual.

Dr Gyang Bere has discharged his duties as DOPA honorably, else his Excellency, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, would have conveniently replaced him. Who then is Shabul Mazadu to cast such aspersions on his person simply because he was not recognised? 

The general public are aware of Mazadu's recent outburst and total disrespect for the person of former Governor Simon Lalong, simply because he was myopically campaigning for Chief Jshua Dariye to become the APC national chairman.

Should Shabul Mazadu be taken seriously by anyone? Should those he maligned let it slide? We urge the public to disregard Shabul Mazadu and his IPA as delusive, unserious, and farcical; and he should be counseled not to distract, or drag the DOPPA into unnecessary controversies.

Signed

Hosea Nash Vongdip

for PPA.