The former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, yesterday, alleged that the Minister of Information, Lai Muhammed and the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, threatened to shut down the television station that granted him interview about President Muhammadu Buhari’s health status, government and two years in office, if they dare air it for Nigerians to view.
Fani-Kayode made this known in an article titled, “A Colony Of Monkeys And A Congress Of Baboons” on his tweeter handle.
The former minister faulted Buhari’s administration and modus operandi on freedom of speech and government criticisms, saying that his government sees “any form of resistance or opposition as subversion and is met with brutality and lethal force and where any telling criticism of the ruling APC party, government officials or the president is regarded as ‘hate speech’ that must be suppressed”.
Fani-Kayode said, “A few days ago, I had a revealing, probing and in-depth interview with a leading television station about President Muhammedu Buhari, his record in office over the last two years, his health and his government.
“The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, was so upset and disturbed by the contents of that discussion that he personally called the television station that recorded it and told them that the government would close them down, if they dared to air it.
“His call was followed by an equally threatening one from the chief executive of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, who issued the same threat.
“Yet, it did not stop there. The President’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, was also agitated when he got a whisper of some of the things that I had revealed, and he wondered out loud how I managed to get all the facts and information that I shared during the interview.
“He begged the station not to air it as well and also threatened them with dire consequences, if they did so. Sadly, the station in question got cold feet, succumbed to the threats and fell for the blackmail,” Fani-Kayode said.
“I am not surprised by this and neither do I blame them for doing so. I say this because they, more than any other, have been subjected to all manner of harassment over the years. Yet, despite that, they remain one of the most balanced, professional, forthright and courageous media outfits in the country till today.
“They are, indeed, the first amongst equals but they also know the monsters that they are dealing with when it comes to the Buhari administration, and they appreciate the fact that they have to be extremely careful even when it comes to reporting what are essentially facts.
“Simply put, they behave like a congress of baboons and a colony of monkeys. They always run away from a real fight and a real debate, and they are terrified of those that are ready to take them on.
“Instead of attempting to defend themselves in the court of public opinion, they seek to silence the opposition by the power of their might, and they seek to suppress dissent, muscle the media and bury the truth,” he added.