Pascal Arogorn Ibe
A journalist who had a sour encounter at a
press briefing with a former Minister of
Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, in Calabar,
Cross River State, has narrated his ordeal to PREMIUM TIMES.
A video being circulated via WhatsApp
shows Mr Fani-Kayode abruptly leaving the
briefing after pouring invective on the
reporter, Eyo Charles of Daily Trust
newspaper, whom he said asked him an
“insulting” question
The incident happened on Thursday at a
private hotel where the former minister was
briefing reporters on his tour of projects in
the South-South state.
The briefing was moderated by Governor
Ben Ayade’s spokesperson, Christian Ita, and
attended by reporters from Vanguard,
Punch, NAN, AIT, and other media houses.
“What type of stupid question is that? What
type of stupid question is that? Bankrolling
who? Do you know who you are talking to?”
Mr Fani-Kayode said angrily to the reporter.
Mr Fani-Kayode, in the video, turned and
looked at Governor Ayade’s spokesperson,
Mr Ita, who sat close to him. He said he was
not going to take any more questions from
Mr Charles.
“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? Bankroll what? Go and
report yourself to your publisher.”
The governor’s spokesperson, Mr Ita, stood
up and tried to pacify the former minister.
“Sorry sir,” Mr Ita said to him. But it
appeared he was too angry to listen.
“I could see from your face before you got
here, how stupid you are. Don’t ever talk to
me like that,” Mr Fani-Kayode kept yelling
at the reporter who was still standing and
apologising — “I am sorry, sir.”
“Don’t judge me by your own standards,”
the former minister kept saying.
“I have been in politics since 1990. I am not
one of those politicians that you think will
just come…. I was taken, I have been locked
up how many times by this government. I
have been prosecuted, unlike most of these
politicians you follow for brown envelopes!
“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 will never be.”
The other reporters appeared stupefied by
the incident and did not ask Mr Fani-
Kayode any further question. The minister
suddenly stood up and left the room.
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.
“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.
Judex Okoro, the Chairman of the
Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigeria Union of
Journalists, in Cross River state, said the
journalists’ union was yet to meet over the
incident.
Governor Ayade’s spokesperson, Mr Ita,
however, told PREMIUM TIMES that what
the Daily Trust reporter said to the former
minister was not a question.
“The guy didn’t even ask a question. The guy
said ‘even though you have not told us who
is bankrolling your trips’.
“When he said that the man now erupted, he
was very upset,” Mr Ita said. “I was trying to
pacify both sides.”
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