IBAN Demands Apology From Wike, Threatens Boycott of FCT Briefings
The Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria (IBAN) has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to retract remarks he made about Channels Television journalist, Seun Okinbaloye, and issue a public apology.
In a statement issued on Monday, the association described the minister’s comment during a live appearance on Channels Television on April 3 as inappropriate and capable of intimidating media practitioners.
During the programme, Wike, reacting to Okinbaloye’s style of questioning on Politics Today, said: “If there was any way to break the screen, I would have shot him.”
Although the minister later clarified that he did not mean to threaten the journalist physically, IBAN said such language was unacceptable from a public office holder.
According to the association, comments suggesting violence, even hypothetically, could encourage hostility against journalists and worsen the already difficult environment in which media professionals operate.
IBAN noted that Nigeria currently ranks 122nd out of 180 countries on the global Press Freedom Index, adding that journalists in the country continue to face surveillance, attacks and arbitrary arrests.
The association urged the FCT minister to formally withdraw the statement, apologise to Okinbaloye and the wider media community, and publicly reaffirm his commitment to press freedom and non-violence in line with Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution.
IBAN also warned that if the minister fails to comply within a reasonable period, it will direct all independent broadcast stations under its umbrella to boycott his media engagements.
The planned action, according to the association, would include the suspension of coverage of all press briefings, media chats and official news conferences organised by the FCT minister.
IBAN said the decision was not taken lightly but insisted that independent broadcasters must protect their staff and resist the normalisation of threatening rhetoric against the media.
The statement was signed by IBAN Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Ramalan, and the association’s Acting General Secretary, Fidelis Duker.
