Eyo Charles, a journalist with Daily Trust newspaper, has
narrated his side of the events that transpired during a recent interview
session with Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of aviation.
The ex-minister, who began a tour
of some states, especially those controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) states in July, visited Cross River last week.
At a press conference in Calabar,
Cross River capital, Charles had asked a question about who was bankrolling
Fani-Kayode’s trip.
But the former minister felt
offended by the question and went ahead to insult the journalist, referring tohim as “very stupid”.
However, in a statement on
Tuesday, the reporter gave a full account of what transpired at the media
briefing.
According to Charles, Fani-Kayode
had given the go-ahead to be asked questions, but when it came to that on the
“bankrolling”, he lost his cool.
The reporter also explained that
he was threatened by a security agent attached to the former minister, and had
to “sneak” out of the place.
Read the full statement below:
One that has risen to become
spokesman to president of a country and later a minister aside other important
public offices should be seen as one that is a diplomat and statesman. But
Chief Femi FaniKayode failed in his public carriage last week when he rounded
off his visit to Cross River State where he spent about a week, probably on the
ticket of the state governor, Prof Ben Ayade.
To climax the visit, he had asked
Alhaji Rasheed Olanrewaju of the AIT to invite some media houses so that he can
relay report about his extensive guided tour of Ayade’s projects mostly in the
southern part of the state.
The invitation was kindly
extended to Daily Trust newspaper, a frontline national newspaper, I work for
since early 2011.
I obliged the invitation not that
I was deliberately left out of the guided tour led by Ayade but so that it
would afford me opportunity to hear more from the former minister why he said
if the national PDP secretariat denied Gov Ben Ayade the honour to control all
party structures in the state, he, Ayade and good number of politicians in the
party would pull out of the party. Of course, it would be interesting to read
and see his body language over his new found romance with Ayade, I thought.
THE ‘PRIVATE HOTEL’ PRESS
BRIEFING
The press briefing was fixed for
Thursday 20 August 2020 by 10:30am at Ayade’s private hotel situated adjacent
to his palatial house in the State Housing Estate Calabar. The hotel was
believed to be moribund before now but having been refurbished, distinguished
persons and government guests are routed there instead of to the massive, well
furnished Lakeside hotel in Tinapa Business Resort owned by the state
government or other presidential lodges in Calabar which are now reportedly
vandalised or converted for private use.
The government house press crew
including Channels TV, NTA, state owned Cross River Broadcasting Corporation,
AIT led by Mr Christian Ita, the chief press secretary, Imani Odey (special
adviser to Ayade on electronic media) and Rasheed Olanrewaju, correspondent of
AIT (chairman of government house press crew). Other journalists from some
national papers present included, Mr Gill Nsa-Abasi of NATION, Aniekan Aniekan
of ORACLE Today, David Odey of the PUNCH, Richard Ndoma of the Leadership,
George Odok of NAN, Ikechukwu Uche of Vanguard, etc.
Fani-Kayode came with his own
media team and security details, including police officers, some of them who he
shouted at, even in front of journalists,` carried his baggage.
The former minister spent over
one hour speaking highly of Gov Ayade, extolling his academic and political
qualities and how that his acumen, sagacity, intelligence and versatility have
largely been ignored even with massive, gigantic and plethora of projects he
has initiated in the state.
FKK said he lives in the northern
part of the country. He said he was in Cross River to see his friend, Ayade,
whom he has been pulled to due to his extraordinary achievements and though
with about the poorest federal allocation yet he has been able to perform more
than those with much state resources.
He said soon after the COVID-19
lockdown was lifted, he visited Zamfara, Anambra and five other states to meet
with the governors, to appraise extent of their projects.
He said although a PDP man, the
visit was across party lines. For instance, at Anambra state where he was
hosted by Willie Obiano, an APGA governor, he could see that he was
constructing the biggest airport in the country. But when he shared the secret
with Ayade, Ayade told him he has already acquired nearly a quarter of Obudu
LGA where he hails for an international cargo airport, that his own will, on
completion, be the biggest in the country. According to FKK, he agreed with
them over what he saw in both states, having himself built the Port Harcourt
airport when he was aviation minister.
He spoke about how Bakassi was
unjustly ceded to Cameroon when he was in Obasanjo’s government, and how the
Supreme Court also nailed the plight of Cross River by almost simultaneously
ruling that the entire 76 oil wells once owned by the state now belong to Akwa
Ibom State, thereby making Akwa Ibom the richest in the country. He pleaded
that the federal government should revisit both thorny issues, and also create
a special status for Cross River.
ONE QUESTION… AND IT WAS A RAIN
OF INSULTS
Time for question, Christian Ita
moderated. But Olanrewaju interjected and sought permission from the
ex-minister that questions be limited to what FKK has said. But FKK himself
said: “There is no problem at all. They should ask any manners not questions,”
that he is equal to the task.
Many asked questions. Gill Nsa of
The Nation, for instance, asked whether his national tour had any political
undertone such as having presidential ambition. A reporter from the state-owned
TV asked whether some of the 33 projects he said Ayade has embarked upon, such
as the 278km superhighway from Bakassi to the border of Benue State as well as
the Deep sea port were not, in fact, white elephant projects. FKK disagreed
strongly and said what Ayade needs is the federal government to take over the
projects and that Nigerians would see that the superhighway for instance will
boost trade and integrated Nigerians.
Now the question that would break
the camel’s back! When I was recognised, I asked, “Sir, please you did not
disclose to us who is bankrolling you….” FFK did not allow me to land with the
question when he threw caution to the wind and shouted at me, and said the
press briefing was over.
He then rained terrible abuses on
me, calling me unprintable names; that I was sponsored to come and ask and
insult him.
“How dare you ask me such a very
stupid question? I know that you, a hungry-looking, brown envelop journalist.
You are sponsored to ask me such insulting question. You can look into my eyes and
ask me such demeaning question! I cannot take that!
“I am a very rich lawyer who has
been in government; who has been detained many times by governments. I have a
very rich background. How can you ask who is bankrolling my tours of the
states? It is very insulting, and I cannot take that. You are very stupid. I
know your publishers. I will call them in the next few minutes. You have to be
fired. I cannot answer any more question from you or from any other reporter.
This conference has ended. I have very short temper….” he said.
‘I HAVE MARKED YOU’
It took the intervention and
pleas from the chief press secretary to Governor Ayade, Mr Christian Ita and
other journalists before the ex-minister would leave the Daily Trust reporter,
saying “You can go ahead and write your rubbish. I have marked you.”
When he returned to his suite, he
sent one of his security aides to further threaten me. The man accosted me,
saying “what effrontery do you have to ask such a stupid question?” and what
was my next action.
Sensing how tense the atmosphere
was, I said to the man, “I had apologised to the ex-minister. If the usage of
the word ‘bankroll’ was offensive to him, then I withdraw it. What more should
I do?” I then sneaked away.
Now the ex-minister is
circulating a doctored video claiming I was rude to him. What could be farther
from the truth? I have a modest background and well trained as a high priest to
respect people of all standing. Please note too that I am a Bishop in the
Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, which exalted stand can never allow me to
descend to insulting public figures or anyone.
This is also to colleagues that
have called to express unhappiness that I did not ‘give it back to FKK’.
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