via Nigerian reporter apologises to President Mugabe – The Sunday Mail Jun 14, 2015
There is a feast of humble pie at Sahara Reporters, with the biggest portion reserved for Adeola Fayehun who has apologised to President Mugabe for her “awful” and “disrespectful” behaviour.
The behaviour in question relates to how she bypassed security and tried to heckle President Mugabe at the recent inauguration of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
The local private media ran screaming headlines celebrating Fayehun’s antics even as sober minds pointed out how unprofessional it was.
Fayehun’s many critics also questioned the security arrangements that allowed a reporter from a media house senior Nigerian military officers have called a supporter of Boko Haram terror to get so close to a Head of State and Government and the African Union Chair.
Now her programme, “Keeping it Real” has been pulled off air and she is apologising profusely to President Mugabe.
In her “interview”, she shouted there was no democracy in Zimbabwe and that “President Mugabe” should step down, notwithstanding the fact that the AU and Sadc Chair resoundingly won a national election as recently as 2013.
President Mugabe maintained his dignity and ignored her.
And last Wednesday, Fayehun said: “I think you have heard of what happened between me and Mr Mugabe, an encounter that has led to the end of my career . . . I completely agree with you guys that asking (President) Mugabe when he would step down was awful, it was awful, it was disrespectful of me . . .
“Which is why this will be my very last episode of ‘Keeping it Real’. I figured it is better to end the show myself.
“It has been real and I have tried for at least three years to keep it real until what happened with (President) Mugabe and for the sake of peace so that there won’t be any more fights . . .”
In an earlier show on Sahara FM Radio titled “With the Humble Prince”, Fayehun said: “I wasn’t making fun saying he (President Mugabe) is too old. I really apologise for my comments.”
Efforts to get a comment from Fayehun were unsuccessful last night, and Sahara Reporters news editor Declan Galvin said: “We cannot provide you with her contact details, it is against our company policy. I cannot confirm on that (that her programme has been taken off air); you can go on her social media platform or website to see what is going on.”
Fayehun’s Facebook page was filled with posts questioning the move to terminate the show, while a web page on her programme had Fayehun confirming its end.
A fortnight ago, Media, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo likened her unprofessional conduct to Boko Haram, in reference to the terror group that has wreaked havoc in Nigeria and neighbouring countries for several years now.
On his Twitter account, the minister asked; “Of course those are human beings, but are they journalists or Boko Haram? How do you know those were journalists, especially since they did not behave as such?”
Tellingly, last December, the Nigerian Army accused Sharara Reporters of being a propaganda arm of Boko Haram.
The then Nigerian Army public relations director, Brigadier-General Olajide Laleye said: “It is noteworthy but sad and unfortunate that Sahara Reporters has committed itself to support for terrorism and fighting Nigeria, its people, its military and particularly the Nigerian Army.”
And in the aftermath of Fayehun’s disgraceful show at President Buhari’s inauguration, Zimbabwe’s private media went into overdrive, lionising behaviour that the reporter herself has admitted was “awful”and “disrespectful”.
NewZimbabwe.com said “Mugabe humiliated in Nigeria”, while NewsDay claimed “Mugabe suffers humiliation in Nigeria”.
Daily News, which like NewsDay is a rabid advocate of anything anti-President Mugabe to the point of publishing several notable inaccuracies to further its crusade, was not to be left out as the private media tried to claim the continent was turning against Zimbabwe’s leader.
However, the massive backlash in Nigeria and across Africa to Fayehun’s behaviour has given the lie to those claims.
The question that remains is: will the media houses that celebrated this “awful”and “disrespectful”behaviour take their places at the table and join Fayehun in eating humble pie?
COMMENTS
Oh, just shut up! This is the lamest article. It’s filled with sensational claims and conjecture that are figments of the writer’s imagination. She said what she said – not because she was sorry for speaking to Mugabe that way, he deserved it and more should do the same – but because she was forced off the air. It’s all about money. Someone put pressure on her employers to terminate her show and so she decided to have the last word, so that she would be able to come back someday. That’s all it is. Trying to claim that she is a supporter of Boco Haram would be like saying the Mugabe is a fascist – neither statement is true. However, Mugabe is a tribalist, a bigot, an oppressive megalomaniac, and a raving narcissist.
Apparently the non-bootlicking press views this story from a different perspective then The Sunday Mail. It seems the The Sunday Mail writer mistook a satirical piece for a genuine show of contrition by the “Keeping It Real,” reporter. She has now elaborated that her mock apology was meant to be ironic, but that she was surprised that the final edit of the original segment contained her offhand comments at the end. However, she meant what she said. She had every right to question Mugabe the way he did and the way that he responded was as a coward, running away from a confrontation – as he always does.
The Sunday Mail writer’s response makes both himself and his editor seem unsophisticated and gullible. It reminds me of the time that the North Korean press lauded an article in the US satirical publication, The Onion, which humorously claimed that Kim Jung Il had been voted the sexiest man alive. NOT! Hahaha! It’s just humor.
If you watch the program, you will understand that that was not an apology, but satire. There’s nothing to apologise for. This article is quite silly.
I love keeping it real, and i think no matter what, she is the girl for the job. taking it off air would not solve a thing. she made me listen to political news….
Mugabe ignored her because he is too deaf to hear