FFK and a Cutting Down to Size -By Bashir Ibrahim

Nigerians watched in total disbelief and anger the mad diatribe unleashed on a journalist old enough to be his mate. On the surface, it appears to be invective in response to a simple question I would have asked again if I were that journalist.  But scratch the surface, and you see an entrenched contempt for the pressmen and their noble profession by the so-called political class in Nigeria.

I was shockingly speechless when I watched the short humiliating clip which displayed how the former minister of aviation molested a Daily Trust reporter by the name of  Eyo Charles during a press briefing in Calabar, Rivers State on Thursday 20th August, 2020. What irritated me most was how the so-called lawyer was bragging… saying: Do you who am I ! Who the bloody hell is he, by the way? To me and to every right-thinking person, he is no more than a small fish floating around an egoistic pond of vanity and arrogance.

Imagine a dude with so many fraudulent allegations and prison records, and now building bashful guts to call a respected gentleman stupid, raining gangster-like insults on him. The gentleman of the press just asked a simple question: Who is bankrolling your tours? But to shun away from the truth and display his political thuggery, the so called-learned figure blasted at the reporter, pouring cups of hot insults like a goon amidst thugs in a beer fallow.

Where were you, my fellow colleagues in the profession, when such crook was harassing your colleague before your very eyes? Why none of you acted a lion by defending the integrity of this reporter and integrity of the profession on which the so-called “braggy” depends solely on his political make-up? This in-action by the fellow journalists at the scene left me gutted and chocked by angry surprise and chilling despair. They should have done something rigid not only to defend the reporter but to protect the entire profession against any reprehensible attack by mannerless figures like Kayode who was nothing but a hybrid class of western educated and snobbish “intellectuals” with little or no respect to people.

Though it is among media ethics and qualities of good reporter to control their  temper when ever arousen by people or any cause, but it can’t be ethical to allow someone especially persons of Femi’s character dry you off your personal and professional dignity.Defending one’s dignity is    called self-respect and self-defence which is allowed even in Nigerian constitution.

I don’t know why these cowardly journalists just sat down watching their colleague humiliated by this moron… Is this because they are afraid to confront FFK for they may loose the “say” brown envelope? Or are they just public relations practitioners to profile the ex-minister, not as news reporters? Because Malcolm Muggeridge once said, “News is anything anybody wants to suppress; everything else is public relations.”  On that,  many Nigerian “journalists” are actually public relations practitioners trying to pamper images of some rude characters like Kayode.

Unless we journalists turn down the demeaning brown envelopes such corrupt politicians like FFK  fling at us, then this is just the beginning of such encounters with people like Kayode who were nothing but for growing on their father’s shoulder and basking in familial fame! And to hell with Fani Kayode’s apologies the day after.

The journalism profession is the most respected and dignified profession that serves as the fourth realm of the government. Journalists always work as watchdogs in the society – therefore, they deserve to be respected, honoured and praised, they must be allowed to perform their professional responsibility passionately and comfortably in the society without being intimidated or harassed along the process by anybody no matter what. The political position of power is not a  pass to intrude into anybody’s personal self-worth or esteem, let alone cutting their professional dignity down to size. 

On daily basis,  we, journalists are insulted, harassed, and often physically tortured by politicians, government officials, and other people just for doing our jobs and for discharging our duties of telling truth and serving as watchdogs in the society. But we still are bawled, shouted at, and silenced by some avaricious members of the political class.

Right from school, we have been trained and acquainted with skills to ask politicians and other government officials questions that may pose a     stimulating response capable of fishing out hidden prejudices of some politicians especially those that have a skeleton in their cupboard like this buster who always holds his head high in arrogance. Therefore, there is not anything like “rude question” as some of these more-of-PR practitioners-than- news reporters see. What a damn shame on these journalists who sat and watched their colleague molested by this obnoxious petrel!

“I could see from your face, before you got here, how stupid you are. Don’t
ever talk to me like that. 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. What type of insulting question is that?” Fani-Kayode fired.  
The above quotes show how rude he was  not the question asked.So, the former minister had his head in the clouds just to evade the question which he either had no answer or had yet at the time, manufactured a white lie to paint his tale.

What annoyed most of us practitioners is the browbeaten journalists standing there, stooping and stupidly apologizing profusely to a pathological bully like FFK! I wish I were there as a reporter: I would have cut in and asked the serial bully the same damn question – and loudly too! I would stand unshakingly to deal with this sociopathic personality whose nose is poked into myopic pride and superbia.

Imagine a person who was in 2016 arraigned by EFCC for money laundering, remanded in custody for nearly a month,  but now feeling superficially boastful that he is Mr. Rich. Well, he is “Mr. Rich” but a rich SUCKER who spent years in PDP administration sucking from public blood (money). It seems now he loses his way in politics and his broken ship of reputations finally capsized down….. having nothing left of his political career but, a mere tour to some PDP states in the so-called name of supervising projects. Alas! Who is he now; a minister of works or a PDP house boy? 

Finally, Now that FFK soiled his already tattered and tainted reputation, what do we as journalists do to further cut this infamous character down to size? Well, the media in Nigeria should treat this man with total blackout- even for a moment, thus squeezing his over-bloated ego to mere blot. The effect this selective attention has on such people can only be imagined: it denies him the primary intoxicant upon which his ego solely depends. The resultant effect will certainly make such men seek solace in some secondary dope. For a man who once couldn’t pay the salaries of his house helps, and the whole world knows it, this is sure to further help this man become totally sober. FFK, learn some humility, please – or we teach you!

Bashir Ibrahim 
A freelance journalist 
Writes from Funtua, Katsina State 
bibrahim527@gmail.com