Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of
aviation, attacked Eyo Charles, a journalist
who asked him a question at a press
conference in Calabar, Cross River state,
last week.
The ex-minister, who began a tour of some
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) states in
July, visited Cross River last week.
Crimefacts gathered that at the end of the
tour, he held a press conference where he
showered encomiums on Ben Ayade,
governor of Cross River.
Among the projects he inspected are the
superhighway that would stretch from the
Atlantic ocean in Bakassi to the boundary
of Benue state and the proposed deep sea port.
He reportedly showered encomiums on
Ayade and called on the federal
government to assist the state which has
“lean resources”.
Eyo, a reporter with Daily Trust, had asked
the ex-minister if his recent trips were
being sponsored and Fani-Kayode flew into
a rage shortly after.
Fani-Kayode, who described the reporter as
“very stupid”, said he is not a poor man
who would beg for funds.
“I am saying this on live TV. What type of
stupid question is that? Bankrolling who?
Do you know who you are talking to? I will
not take any questions from this man,” he
said.
“What type of insulting question is that?
Which bankroll? To do what? Who can give
me money for anything? Who do you think
you are talking to? Go and report yourself
to your publisher? Please don’t insult me
here. I don’t want to take any questions
from this man.
“I could see from your face before you got
here, how stupid you are. Don’t ever talk to
me like that. Who do you think you’re
talking to. Bankroll who? You think I am
one of those ones you… from who, when,
how? You have a small mind, very small
mind. Don’t judge me by your own
standards.
“I have been in politics since 1990… I have
been locked up many times by this
government. Suffered. I have been
persecuted unlike most of the politicians
you follow for brown envelope. Don’t ever
judge me by that standard. I spend I don’t
take and I am not a poor man — I have
never been and I will never be.
“Bankroll how? Don’t ever suggest that to
me. I am sorry that was deeply insulting. I
don’t often get annoyed in press
conference. I have been doing this type of
thing for so many years. Don’t you ever
make that kind of suggestion to me.
Bankroll who? A former minister, a lawyer?
Don’t ever try that with me again o, please.
You see me well, don’t ever. Try it with
others, but with me, don’t! I will hit you
hard and if anybody sent you to ask that
question and gave you brown envelope, go
and tell them that you got more than they
bargained for to do it.
“Very rude. It is not the standard of Daily
Trust at all and I will report you to your
publisher. Thank you. Somebody that has
been on the road for how long, you are
coming to talk about that. Very stupid.”
The ex-minister had asked if there were
other questions but he did not entertain
any other question before storming out of
the hall in anger.
Crimefacts gathered that despite the attempt
of Christian Ita, chief press secretary to
Ayade, to pacify Fani-Kayode, he continued
raining insults on the reporter outside the
hall.
“You can go ahead and write your rubbish.
I have marked you,” a journalist who
witnessed the incident quoted Fani-Kayode
as telling Charles.
Eyo Charles, Daily Trust Journalist speaks on Humiliation by Femi Fani Kayode
The Daily Trust reporter, Mr Charles, told
PREMIUM TIMES that he was “more
disorganised” and had to apologise to Mr
Fani-Kayode when he heard other reporters
told him right there that he should not have
asked the question.
He said he did not expect the former
minister to “suddenly jumped” at him.
“The question was sir, you said you have
gone round six or seven states to inspect
projects undertaken by those governors, and
now you are here in Cross River state,
rounding off your one-week visit to
Governor Ayade. Who is bankrolling you?”
Mr Charles said.
Mr Charles said after the incident a
“security aide” to the former minister
walked up to him and began interrogating
him. He said he had to hurriedly leave the
hotel premises.
The former minister, the reporter said, later
called his editor in Daily Trust and
demanded his sack.
The reporter said he regretted apologising to
Mr Fani-Kayode over the incident.
“I am 53, he is not much older than me. I am
not a child, I am an adult and I have
children,” he said.
Daily Trust reacts
The management of Media Trust Limited,
publishers of Daily Trust and other titles,
condemn the reprehensible actions of Femi
Fani-Kayode, who in a video clip now gone viral,
verbally assaulted – repeatedly – our reporter,
Eyo Charles in the course of doing his job.
In statement by its editor-in-Chief ,Naziru Mikailu Abubakar ,reads :
“The encounter occurred in Calabar, Cross River
State, in the morning of Thursday 20, August
2020 at a hotel, during a roundtable with invited journalists.”
“During the roundtable, Charles asked Fani-
Kayode who was bankrolling his recent trips
around Nigeria, to which the ex-minister
responded with a raised voice, insults, and
eventually a threat to inflict bodily harm on our reporter.”
“The barrage continued for some minutes, while
bewildered journalists, including our reporter,looked on.”
l
“The video clip, also released on one of the ex-
minister’s social media accounts, was
conveniently edited to exclude the question
asked by Charles, totally devoid of mischief,
simply sought clarification and information, like
good journalism should..”
“Said editing paved the way for a social media
lynch mob to rain expletives on our reporter,
labelling him as ‘rude’.
“This could not be further away from the truth,
and we stand by Charles, and commend him for
his calmness during the ordeal..”
“Daily Trust reporters are responsible
professionals, who uphold the tenets of
journalism, as well as best practices..”
“That Fani-Kayode attacks a reporter doing his
job, is an indication of the chilling disregard he
has towards the media, and its work in
investigating and reporting on issues..”
“As always, we stand in solidarity with our
reporters, and will continue to fight for the
rights of all journalists. After all, journalism is
part of the bedrock of democracy; therefore
practitioners must not be intimidated or
threatened as they carry out their work.”
“We urge the Nigeria Police to take note, that if
anything happens to Charles, Daily Trust will
hold Fani-Kayode responsible, especially due to
the intensity of the verbal threats he issued
during the shocking incident.”
“The actions of Fani-Kayode are not only
reprehensible, but also constitute a setback to
press freedom, in a most dire form.”, he said.
“This kind of assault raises major concerns over
the safety of journalists in Nigeria.”
“Daily Trust is a completely independent media
organisation that does not pander to the whims
of any individual or group, no matter how
powerful or well-placed in society.”
“We will continue to serve Nigerians – and
indeed the world – with quality, reliable
reportage, no matter whose ox is gored.”,Mikailu Abubakar said.
SERAP,,NUJ condemn attack on a Daily Trust Journalist, demand apology from Femi Fani Kayode
Reacting to the video of Mr Fani-Kayode’s
outburst, the Socio-Economic Rights and
Accountability Project (SERAP) said it was
wrong for the former Minister to address
the journalist the way he did.
“We condemn reported intimidation,
harassment and attack on Daily Trust
journalist by a former Minister of Aviation
Femi Fani-Kayode.
“Mr Fani-Kayode should publicly apologise
to the journalist. No one should ever call
any journalist stupid simply for doing their
job.
“Journalistic freedom also covers possible
recourse to a degree of exaggeration, or
even provocation. The media has a vital
role to play as a public watchdog in
imparting information of serious public
concern and should not be inhibited or
intimidated from playing that role,” the group said.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has
condemned the alleged verbal assault on the
Cross River Correspondent of Daily Trust
Newspaper, Mr Charles Eyo, by a former
Minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode.
NUJ President, Mr Chris Isiguzo, in a statement
on Tuesday in Abuja said Fani-Kayode’s threat
to Eyo had exposed him as intolerant.
The former minister was said to have verbally
assaulted the journalist at a press conference in
Calabar, the Cross River capital, while
responding to a question by the journalist.
“It is instructive to remind the likes of Fani-
Kayode that it is the constitutional right of
journalists to monitor and keep a check on
people and institutions in power.
“By delving into politics and holding political
office, Kayode is very conversant with the
watchdog role of the media.
“For him to have embarked on assessment of
projects in some states, even though we are yet
to be told under what platform he is doing so, it
is proper for the media to hold him to account
for his actions and decisions.
“His reaction was totally unacceptable,
dishonourable and reprehensible and we
demand for retraction of his untoward, irritating
and awkward utterances which negate simple decorum and civility.
“We are more shocked that the same Fani-
Kayode who had in recent times, used his
social media handles to call leaders to account
is at the same time attacking a journalist,”
Iziguzo said.
The NUJ president said Fani-Kayode’s threat
over a simple question on who was behind his
nationwide tour was disappointing
According to Isiguzo, Fani-Kayode had already
visited six states during his nationwide tour.
Nigerians react on Twitter
Nigerians are on Twitter to condemn in totality the Humiliation by Femi Fani Kayode on a Daily Trust Journalist, Charkes Eyo.
The reactions :” “Give Femi Fani-Kayode food, he will praise
you and sing for you” ~ Olusegun Obasanjo”
@ JaafarSJaafar
“You want Buhari to tackle free speech so
that you’ll break another news on his
head? FFK was just exercising his freedom
of (violent)speech, please”
@ jeffphilips1
“Femi Fani-Kayode calling the daily Trust
reporter “stupid” is unfortunate. To, then,
proudly say, “I have a short fuse” admitting
u have little self control is even more
unfortunate. A journalist asking the
difficult question is an art; responding well
to it is a greater art form”
@ fybloom
“If Nigerian justice system is working, Fani
Kayode should b in prison. Instead, he’s
asking a journalist, do u know who you’re
talking to? And d mumu journalist was
petrified; “sorry sir sorry sir”. This is why
@jeffphilips1 constantly say; Nigeria
journalism belongs to d bin.”
@ osquare78
I owe nobody an apology for my action -Femi Fani Kayode
But reacting via a statement on Twitter, Fani-
Kayode insisted that he had no apologies to offer for his action.
He said, “During my tour of the South and after
a long and successful press conference in
Calabar, Cross Rivers State, a journalist put up
his hand for the last question and said: Well we
do not know who is bankrolling you.
“Below is my response and I have no apology
to offer for it. This is not a question but an
assertion and an insult. And if this insulting
assertion were made before (Donald) Trump or
OBJ (Olusegun Obasanjo), I know how they
would have reacted.
“The young man apologised to me during the
press conference and sent his apologies to me
after the conference. I have accepted his
apologies in good faith and moved on.”
