Former minister of aviation Femi Fani-Kayode has withdrawn disparaging remarks he directed at a journalist during a press conference last week in Calabar, Cross River State.
Mr Fani-Kayode appeared in a video on Tuesday verbally assaulting a reporter Charles Eyo who asked the ex-minister if his recent tour around the country was being ‘bankrolled’ by someone.
In a Twitter thread on Wednesday, the ex-minister said he had withdrawn his spiteful comment after consulting with his advisors.
“I met with my advisors & I wish to say the following. I hereby withdraw the word “stupid” which I used in my encounter with a journalist in Calabar. I have many friends in the media who I offended by losing my cool & using such words. I hereby express my regrets for doing so,” he wrote.
“I do however wish to state categorically that no threat of physical harm was ever made to the journalist in question and neither did I send anyone to threaten him. Anyone that says otherwise is lying and I challenge them to bring the proof.”
The journalist had released a statement saying an aide of the former minister threatened him.
Fani-Kayode who had on Tuesday evening insisted he was right to have attacked the journalist added: “I would never seek to physically harm a journalist. For the last 30 years, I have defended & worked with journalists & fought for the right of freedom of expression. I am also very close to many in that profession. I would be the last to seek to disparage those that are honorable and noble within its ranks.
“I hope that this will assuage the pain and anger of anyone that was hurt or offended by this ugly episode. I have now put this matter behind me and moved on. Now my tour of the South continues. Moving to another state today!”
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Daily Trust, the journalist’s employer, among others had condemned the verbal assault.
