The media team of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to a report by Sahara Reporters which claimed that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of aviation breaches security procedures at the airport whenever he travels.
In a statement signed by Jude Ndukwe on behalf of the team and made available to newsmen on Tuesday, it said nothing can be further from the truth as contained in that report.
It said Chief Femi Fani-Kayode as a former minister of aviation knows the importance of security procedures at airports having been a major stakeholder himself and would not do anything to cause the breach of security at the airport or anywhere else.
“What Sahara Reporters and its paymasters mischievously misinterpret as “breach of security” is obviously the effusive show of camaraderie and support to the former minister by management and staff of the airports, passengers and other users whenever he uses the facilities”, the statement said.
Continuing, the former minister of aviation’s media team said, to the chagrin of his traducers, Fani-Kayode has cut a heroic figure for himself among Nigerians of all status to the extent that he is almost always mobbed by his admirers who usually hail him to high heavens for his rare bold and truthful stand on national issues, defending the oppressed, standing up for the voiceless and speaking truth to power.
The media team accused Sahara Reporters of turning itself into “a cheap article and media outfit of easy virtue available for use by the highest bidder to propagate falsehood”.
“Sahara Reporters has over the years gained an inglorious and repudiating reputation as an expert in the weaving of complex webs of lies and staging theatrics with willing accomplices against high ranking individuals with the hope of making pecuniary gains from such iniquitous exercise.”
“On June 30, 2015, in the run up to the general elections, Sahara Reporters, in cahoots with their sponsors, planted one Lekan at a hotel Chief Femi Fani-Kayode usually stayed in Lagos while on official assignment there as Director of media and publicity of the PDP campaign organization. The said Lekan barged into the section Fani-Kayode and some guests were holding a meeting and started shouting wildly to the shock of all present in an attempt to scuttle the meeting and provoke Fani-Kayode and his delegates to a reaction.
“However, their plans failed as Fani-Kayode and his guests maintained a sturdy silence until the intruder was gone only for Sahara Reporters to report minutes after that Fani-Kayode invaded the hotel with heavily armed security men and caused chaos in the hotel.
“This report left the hotel management greatly embarrassed as they apologized profusely to Fani-Kayode for the falsehood propagated against him by Sahara Reporters using the name of their hotel.
“We wish to state that management and staff of airports especially in Lagos and Abuja which Fani-Kayode uses most often have been carrying out their duties including screening of passengers most professionally and in a friendly manner. Fani-Kayode has no reason whatsoever not to submit himself to such wonderful people in the discharge of their responsibilities as any breach also has the capacity of putting everyone including himself in danger.
“The professionalism and friendliness with which airport management and staff carry out their daily duties despite the biting economic hardship in the nation today is part of the enduring legacies which Fani-Kayode is proud to have bequeathed to the aviation industry and no amount of mudslinging by the likes of Sahara Reporters can change that”, the statement concluded.
