By Joy Odor
This was contained in a press statement by the Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade and signed by his Communications Officer, Mr Olutoyin Ayoade on Tuesday, 24th July 2020.
The IPC Director viewed the development as repulsive and unacceptable since there was nothing wrong with Journalist Eyo Charles wanting to know if the tour was an independent initiative or a sponsored one.
IPC therefore demands that the former Minister should apologise to the Journalist and give an assurance of his safety in view of the alleged further threats.
IPC is of the view that journalists who are saddled with the constitutional obligation of monitoring governance and holding the government accountable to the people should not be subjected to harassment in the course of duty.
“The former Minister had the option of not answering the question and the abuses were totally out of place in the context of the event” he said.
It would be recalled that the journalist, Eyo Charles, who reports for the Daily Trust Newspaper, was seen in a video posted by The Cable, an online newspaper, asking the former Minister at a press conference in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, Nigeria, if he was funded to embark on a tour of projects in the state to which he responded with verbal attacks.
