The empowerment exercise organised by the Presidency for over 500 indigent Lagosians was marred after an aide to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, publicly harassed and stopped journalists from covering the event in Ikeja, the state capital.
The aide, a senior police officer and Chief Security Officer (CSO), Kunle Fagbemi, who was said to have harassed members of the governor’s press crew, abused the journalists continuously to attract guests attention.
At the empowerment programme organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative, a pet project of the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, on Saturday, the policeman accused the journalists of breaching security measures even after it was obvious that the pressmen came into the event premises like other invited guests.
Eyewitnesses narrated that Fagbemi aggressively confronted the governor’s official press crew as they made their way to the venue in their designated media bus, a move that came as a surprise to other security personnel deployed to prevent a breakdown of law and order at the event.
They added that without prior provocation from the pressmen, Fagbemi reportedly halted the vehicle and launched into a tirade, accusing the journalists of being disruptive and unprofessional in their conducts at public events.
It was learnt that his conducts against the pressmen created a tense and embarrassing scene in full view of passersby and dignitaries present at the venue.
Efforts by some media personnel to calm the situation were rebuffed, as Fagbemi allegedly doubled down on his accusations and insisted that the press crew had overstepped their bounds within the Lagos State Government premises.
He said: “All the journalists assigned to cover this event do not worth the price of my booth. I am better in status to all the pressmen here”.
Many journalists who were invited to also witness the empowerment ceremony recounted how the governor’s security aide had often hurled abusive language at them particularly after they have identified themselves through their identity Cards
Although no physical confrontation was reported, members of the press expressed serious concerns about their safety and the growing pattern of intimidation journalists face while covering government activities.
“This is unacceptable,” said one of the affected reporters, who requested anonymity. “We were simply doing our jobs, yet we were treated with hostility by someone who should be protecting us.”
After several minutes of delay and continuous persuasion, Fagbemi later allowed the pressmen into the venue.
