The Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Owena Press Limited, publishers of The Hope Newspapers, Mr. Kayode Fasua, has dismissed reports accusing him of shielding age falsifiers within the company and covering up the disappearance of two Hilux vans, describing the allegations as “reckless lies from envious detractors.”
Fasua, who was appointed head of the state-owned media organisation in October 2024, said in a statement issued in Akure on Sunday that his focus had been on repositioning the newspaper for efficiency and growth, not on shielding wrongdoing.
“I couldn’t have shielded age or certificate falsifiers because I willingly set up an age verification panel in response to whistleblowing from staff. The panel, made up of four external members and three technical assistants, screened all 95 staff over two days and submitted its report, which we found useful,” Fasua explained.
He revealed that the panel discovered questionable affidavits and that management was still reviewing staff records when the state’s anti-graft agency invited him for clarifications over a petition.
“The commission did not disclose the author of the petition. But I cooperated fully and provided every document requested. Sadly, the petitioner also alleged that two Hilux vans were missing. I disproved that with evidence,” he added.
According to Fasua, one of the vehicles in question was already badly damaged before he assumed office.
He said the vehicle was later retrieved by the General Administration Department of the Governor’s Office as part of a directive to evacuate grounded vehicles across state-owned establishments.
Fasua noted that since his assumption of duty, he had embarked on reforms to restore the fortunes of the organisation.
He listed his achievements to include the repair of the grounded staff bus, ongoing repairs of another company car, revival of the printing press, and expansion of the newspaper’s editions.
“When I came in, The Hope was only published once a week in hard copy. Today, we have added a weekend edition, launched The Hope Magazine, and introduced a digital daily frontpage publication that drives readers to our website. As of now, we attract an average of 50,000 visitors in the early hours daily,” Fasua stated.
The Owena Press boss maintained that his mandate, given by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, was to revamp the newspaper house and ensure professionalism, stressing that “no amount of falsehood will derail that mission.”
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