Exclusive: Tompolo, Company Place N81m Newspaper Ads to Celebrate Tinubu’s Birthday

“Government Ekpemupolo and Tantita Security Services Ltd. (TSSL), his company, may have spent a whopping N81 million on newspaper advertisements in celebration of President Bola Tinubu’s 72nd birthday.

Despite Tinubu’s expressed wish to forego extravagant celebrations in light of economic challenges in the country, Tompolo went ahead to purchase front-page ads in six prominent newspapers, including The PUNCH, Tribune, Daily Trust, The Guardian, The Sun, and Leadership.

FIJ delved into the potential costs of these advertisements, considering variations in rates among newspapers due to factors like coverage, quality, and operational expenses. The ads were all of the same size, a “special position” format of 10×6 (colour).

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Based on rates obtained by FIJ, The PUNCH charges N19 million, Tribune N12 million, and Daily Trust N14 million for such ads. The Guardian and The Sun ask for N13,230,000 and N13,437,000, respectively. Leadership’s rates were unavailable, but estimated around N10 million for the same size.

Taking into account possible discounts and VAT, TSSL’s expenditure on these ads could reach N81,667,000.

TSSL, a government contractor safeguarding public oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta, has faced scrutiny recently, with reports indicating challenges in curbing oil theft despite substantial annual payments from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL).”