Outburst on Daily Trust Reporter: Thank You Femi Fani-Kayode

LAGOS, Nigeria: If there are just two things the former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode succeeded in doing with his outburst against Daily Trust reporter, Eyo Charles, they are making the journalist a celebrity and asking media houses to treat their staff (journalists) as professionals like standing by them at difficult times.

Yes, journalists are rarely celebrated, honoured or respected in our time except they managed to rise to be appointed into top government positions like Special Adviser to Governors, Ministers, Senator or President or appointed as Minister or Commissioner for Information.

Few like Segun Osoba got to Government House as Governor. And few others got to be more popular and celebrated after their demise like Dele Giwa who died of letter bomb, Tayo Awotunsin and Kris Imobibie who died covering the Liberia civil war

Before now little or nothing was known of Eyo Charles. But God has a way of lifting people. God used FFK to recognise and “elevate” or celebrate “a common journalist” as people like FFK would always love to address us.

At 53, the Calabar correspondent of Daily Trust has been carrying out his journalistic job over the years almost unnoticed or unknown or uncelebrated until that fateful day when FFK’s SHORT FUSE was unveiled.

Rather than get sacked by Daily Trust publisher who FFK vowed to report the reporter to, the company warmly embraced it’s staff and gave the former minister a dress-down in it’s official reaction cum statement. This is a rare professional act!

Yes, FFK has apologized and should be forgiven but no one should condemn the reaction of Daily Trust. I personally hail the newspaper for it’s bold stand.

How I wish journalists have been receiving this sort of support from their companies or newspapers. Can we count how many journalists have lost their jobs in similar circumstances?

Many got mere phone calls from their publishers asking them to proceed on compulsory leave for “dragging the name of the company in the mud”. This is after the personality involved had called the publisher to intimate him or her of the incident thus, painting a picture of a rude reporter who insulted him publicly.

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Most times the personality will be a friend to the publisher who could be a contract seeker with and in government. This makes it easily to kick out the “bloody” journalist

Eyo Charles saga should be a wake-up call to media houses and their managers to treat their staff honourably. It is a clarion call to the Nigerian Union of Journalists to treat journalists or their members with maximum respect as true professionals.

I learnt that a couple of corporate bodies and groups are already planning to honour Eyo Charles. This is a welcome development. Let’s celebrate a man who may not have had such opportunity or privilege without the FFK skit.

Perhaps from this skit or soap if you like the likes of FFK will learn to respect a journalist instead of looking down on them.