By Ayodele Fagbohun

Femi Fani-Kayode’s latest wild vituperation and prowl on innocent Eyo Charles, a reporter on the Daily Trust Newspaper whilst on his legitimate and lawful duty which was a social responsibility to the public was a calculated grave assault on the freedom of the press.
Femi was on a sable mission or stratagem to cajole the public in a futile bid to cow and bamboozle the press to submission thereby from exposing the depth of large scale fraud, financial rip off, corruption and political venality some government functionaries perpetrated on the national kitty with brazen impunity.
Let’s face it, Femi Fani-Kayode, a scion of the late former Deputy premier of Western Region, Chief Remi Fani-Kayode whose unseemly activities alongside the late premier, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola brought the new short-lived experimental old Action Group led government into grief, culminated into gory collapse of the first republic politics.
Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, one-time special adviser later graduated as minister of aviation under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo currently on trial at the Federal High Court for “indirectly retaining hundreds of millions of naira which are proceeds of corruption.”
The former minister who is under trial on corruption of crime against the state vaunted that after a tour of the south, he had a long and successful press conference in Calabar, Cross River’s capital.
Eyo Charles, a reporter was asking Femi Fani-Kayode a direct question devoid of mischief how he was funding his orchestrated and nebulous ongoing tour of some PDP controlled states in the south.
There and then, like a spider caught suddenly in a web Femi Fani-Kayode run a mock into barbed wires of confusion and unable to extricate himself from the cul-de-sac. He was enraged and irascible.
Who says, leopards can’t change their spots? Nothing could be further from the truth.
Femi Fani-Kayode got it absolutely wrong, probably has forgotten he was in the midst of astute professionals who will not fail in their social obligation to know how the prosecuted his so called zonal tour.
What could have been the rationale behind the politically motivated tour in the first instance.
Moreso, the press has been described by the great writer, Edmund Burke as the “fourth estate” of the realm. The other estates are the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The doctrine of separation of powers as propounded by a French philosopher Montesquieu was to maintain the balance of powers of the three functionaries to avoid any encroachment or interference with one another.
In Nigeria, the press as a virile political institution can be aptly and rightly described as the fourth estate of Nigeria. Any government, its agents or proxies, or individual working surreptitiously at the behest of any government who run foul of press freedom do so at their own peril.
American journalists have a constitutional right to gather and publish or broadcast news. This constitutional right was provided for by the first amendment to the United States’ constitution which guarantees press freedom. The first amendment states in part: “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press.”
For emphasis, the United States of America is regarded as the home of democracy where freedom of the press reigns supreme. Other Western countries where the press is free to a large extent include Britain, France and Canada. In these countries, reporters have access to information and are free to carry out their watchdog role without any molestation or interference.
He who lives in glass house should not throw stones. The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in a statement by its President, Chris Isiguzo said, by denigrating the journalist, Fani-Kayode espoused himself more as an intolerant and petulant person who will not want his activities closely scrutinised by the media.
“The union said it was shocked that Fani-Kayode who had in the recent times used his social media handles to call leaders to account, is at the same time attacking a journalist for a simple demand for him to unmask those behind his nationwide tour.
What is uppermost in my mind over the scenarios, is not the weakness of character and personal foibles of Femi Fani-Kayode, a direct result of psychological traits traceable to nature/nurture concept that could not only be divorced from individual human personality.
Whilst no one in his right senses can lay blame on the doorstep of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo for rehabilitating Femi Fani-Kayode from his long sojourn and stay abroad, brought him on his wing as special adviser and minister in his administration. Fani-Kayode is old enough to bear his own cross and be fully prepared to account for his actions, good and otherwise in the public service of the country.
Sometime in the recent past the media, not the social media carried a scintillating news item that this former aviation minister now being dreaded by the press, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode had changed his name to reflect and connote sense of penitence and remorse after being grilled and eventually released from the ordeal of Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
To infuse sanity and moral discipline into our public life, President Muhammadu Buhari should live up to the expectation of his anti corruption crusade in all its ramifications. And must not allow some morally bankrupt, corrupt and disgruntled undesirable element in the society to take him for granted.
The EFCC and ICPC must be rejigged to track down all fleeing corrupt politicians and government officials. Government should confiscate the looted goods and the proceeds be ploughed back to the economics with immediate effect, for the smooth and efficient running of good governance.
The government, imbued with political will and strong constitution should deploy extra judicial means to punish all the looters of the common wealth, assets and patrimonies according to the extant laws of the land to serve as deterrent to others.
There should be no sacred cow in the process of cleansing the systemic rot, graft and corruption which is rife in the land. That will caution the excesses and tomfoolery of Femi Fani-Kayode and his ilk not to exceed their bounds.