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 Fani-Kayode if anyone was bankrolling his trip.

But the former minister, who felt offended by the question, described him as “very stupid”.

“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, a very small mind,” he had said.

His comments had generated a backlash, with at least two chapters of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) boycotting his activities.

The ex-minister had initially refused to apologoise to Charles, saying his apology was for his “friends in the media”.

But speaking at a press conference at government house, Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom, on Friday, Fani-Kayode said he disappointed himself and everyone.

“I’m deeply sorry for the manner I reacted to the said reporter. I was too hard on him. The question was mischievous, but I fell for it,” he said.

“I should have been smarter than that. I am using this opportunity to reach out to him, and I hope he will be kind enough to forgive me. I disappointed myself, my family and friends, my colleagues and even my bosses, those who hold me in high esteem.

“I have regrets, it was not my finest day. No leader or public figure should ever react like that. I disappointed myself. I deeply regret it and I believe it will never happen again.”

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In a statement on Friday, the chapter asked journalists not to attend any activity organised by the Fani-Kayode in the state.

Fani-Kayode announced his arrival in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, on Thursday through his twitter handle.

This came days after Fani-Kayode insulted a journalist for asking him what he described as a “stupid question” at a press conference after his tour of Cross River state.

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 state capital, Eyo Charles, a journalist with Daily Trust, had asked a question about who was bankrolling Fani-Kayode’s trip.

The former minister felt offended by the question and went ahead to insult the journalist, referring to him as “very stupid”.

“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, a very small mind. Don’t judge me by your own standards,” he had said.

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The journalist, Eyo Charles, who reports for the Daily Trust Newspaper, was seen in a video posted by The Cable, an online newspaper. asking the former Minister at a press conference in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, Nigeria, if he was funded to embark on a tour of projects in the state to which he responded with verbal attacks.

The Minister was also seen threatening to deal with Journalist Eyo Charles, who has since claimed that a security detail in the entourage of the former Minister confronted him after the press conference.

IPC views this development as repulsive and unacceptable since there was nothing wrong with Journalist Eyo Charles wanting to know if the tour was an independent initiative or a sponsored one.

“The former Minister had the option of not answering the question and the abuses were totally out of place in the context of the event”, the Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said.

IPC therefore demands that the former Minister should apologise to the Journalist and give an assurance of his safety in view of the alleged further threats.

IPC is of the view that journalists who are saddled with the constitutional obligation of monitoring governance and holding the government accountable to the people should not be subjected to harassment in the course of duty.

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Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation, had attacked Eyo Charles, a journalist who asked him a question at a press conference in Calabar, Cross River state, last week.

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.

In a statement, Naziru Abubakar, executive director/editor-in-chief of Daily Trust, said the attack on the reporter who was doing his job “is an indication of the chilling disregard he has towards the media, and its work in investigating and reporting on issues”.

The newspaper said Fani-Kayode’s “reprehensible actions” raises major concerns over the safety of journalists in Nigeria.

The newspaper called on the police to take note of the ex-minister’s action, saying he would be held responsible if anything untoward happens to the reporter.

“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,” the organisation said.

“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.

“The video clip, also released on one of the ex-ministers 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.

“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.”

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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 to him as “very stupid”.

While responding to the video of his tirade which has generated a lot of criticism, Fani-Kayode insisted that he had no apology to offer to the journalist, adding that the question he was asked was “sponsored”.

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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Fani-Kayode, who has been touring some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) states, shouted at Eyo Charles, a reporter with Daily Trust, before ending a briefing in Calabar, Cross River state.

Charles had asked him if his recent trips were being sponsored and the ex-minister lost his cool afterwards.

“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 had said.

The development triggered varied responses among many Nigerians, with some faulting the former minister’s action.

But reacting via a statement, Fani-Kayode said he had no apology to offer, insisting that the journalist’s comment was insulting.

“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,” he said.

“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.

“I have always had respect for journalists and I always will. Those of them that know me or have worked with or for me over the last 30 years can attest to that.”

Fani-Kayode added that there is a difference between asking a question and “offering a gratuitous insult.”

“This is all the more so when it is clear that the assertion was sponsored and engineered by my political enemies who wanted to use the young man to insult and embarrass me and question my integrity. Well they got more than they bargained for,” he said.

“I repeat this was not a question but an assertion and an insult and I will not accept that from any man born of woman. Thank you.”

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