His order infuriated many of the delegates who threatened to stage a walkout of the conference if journalists were not allowed to cover the proceedings. The development stalled the conference proceedings for about 40 min...utes, as the majority of the delegates insisted that Kutigi must apologise to the journalists over unpleasant words used to address them.
Trouble started when the Deputy Chairman of the National Conference Committee on National Security, Mr Albert Horsfall, was to open debate on his committee report.
He had requested the conference chairman to excuse journalists, as most of the issues to be discussed were vital security information he did not want journalists to cover.
But Kutigi threw caution to the air when he shouted that “media, vamoose! The pressmen, clear yourselves! The pressmen should disappear! Pressmen disappear! Shut your cameras; shut everything and get out! From the gallery clear and get out from there! Disappear.”
At this point, the plenary was thrown into rowdy session, as both journalists and the majority of the delegates who appreciated the work of the media rose in anger over Kutigi’s vituperative command.
Many of the journalists believed that asking them to leave the plenary for executive session was not an issue, but the way and manner the presiding chairman talked down on them was unacceptable.
While gathering outside to decide on the line of action, some delegates who realised the mistake of the chairman came outside to appeal to the media men, saying he had apologised on the way he addressed the journalists.
The delegates that came to appeal included Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Prince Lanre Ogundipe, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, former President of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mallam Sani Zorro, and many other delegates representing the media and civil societies at the conference.
They revealed that the plenary was thrown into confusion for about 40 minutes due to disagreement among the delegates on whether they should allow the pressmen or not and the manner in which Justice Kutigi addressed them.
Also appealing to the journalists, Deputy Chairman of the conference, ProfessorBolaji Akinyemi, who also came outside to meet the journalists, said the committee chairman requested for the executive, adding that he had come to apologise on behalf of the conference.
Source: Tribune
