Femi Fani-Kayode Verbally Assaults a Journalist , Calls him “A Stupid !”

Femi Fani Kayode verbally assaults a journalist, calling him a “stupid !”

The former Aviation Minister has been on tour of South South States and was in Calabar when journalists met with him.

Charles Eyo of Daily Trust had asked who was “bankrolling”  Fani-Kayode’s tour of states to inspect governors’ projects . The team of journalists were shocked when the Minister went off on a tangent with uncontrolled verbal assaults for more than 2 minutes.

He not only called the journalist stupid in his verbal assault, but threatened him: “Don’t ever try that with me. I have a short fuse. I will hit you hard.”

The PDP Chieftain said he will report the journalist to his boss insisting the he “is not a poor man or one and I will never be.”

Individuals, civil rights groups have condemned the former Minister’s action insisting that he apologises to the journalist.

On its part, Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project (SERAP issued a statement on the action of Fani-Kayode:

SERAP @SERAPNigeria

“BREAKING: 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 “public watchdog” in imparting information of serious public concern and should not be inhibited or intimidated from playing that role.”

The Nigerian Union of Journalists, speaking through its president, Chris Isiguzo, also gave its position on the incident. According to the body:

“By denigrating the journalist, Fani-Kayode has exposed himself the more as an intolerant and unstable person who will not want his activities closely scrutinised by 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 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…”

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Femi Fani-Kayode Verbally Assaults a Journalist