A Zamfara State-based political group, Sha,’aya’u Sarkin-Fawa Foundation, has expressed its intention to give an award of ‘Resilient Journalist’ to Mr. Eyo Charles, the Media Trust Correspondent in Cross River State, who was insulted recently by Femi Fani-Kayode.
This was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the foundation, Alhaji Sha’aya Sarkin-Fawa and made available to newsmen in Gusau last Friday. He said the award followed the maturity shown by Eyo Charles as former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani- Kayode, arrogantly insulted him at a press conference in Calabar.
The statement further said that Charles was castigated by the former minister for asking a simple question of who was bankrolling the former minister’s tour of the country.
Sarkin-Fawa said the maturity with which Charles handled his attacker had immensely attracted the foundation, which was why they felt he deserved ‘respect and recognition.’
“Fani-Kayode’s visit to Zamfara as one of the states he had visited so far, where he repeatedly described the journalism profession as the bedrock to all meaningful development, remained hazy as he vowed to dehumanise the innocent journalist while on his job.
“The attitude the journalist displayed gives more hope and believe to Nigerians that we still have good media practitioners in the country. “As Nigerians, we strongly believe that if the former minister is truly the activist as he claims, he should have patiently answered the question asked by Charles, which was for the consumption of the general public.
