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Fani-Kayode threatens to drag Amaechi to court, demands N5bn

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Fani-Kayode threatens to drag Amaechi to court, demands N5bn

Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has vowed to drag the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to court over his comments on a television programme if he does not apologise and pay N5billion to him.

Amaechi had alleged while speaking on a Channels TV programme that Rivers State former Governor Peter Odili, transferred N2billion to the Ministry of Aviation under Fani-Kayode to fix the Port-Harcourt airport runway, which the former minister allegedly pocketed for himself.

However, Fani-Kayode reacting through his lawyers in a letter signed by Wale Balogun, Esq., demanded an apology and N5billion as damages for being disparaged by Amaechi’s “remarks in the eyes of right thinking members of the society.”

In the letter marked DPC/ABJ/04/034/2017, written on May1st, 2017, and addressed to Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Hon. Minister of Transportation, Federal Republic of Nigeria Federal Ministry of Transportation Complex FCT-Abuja, Fani-Kayode claimed that Amaechi’s remarks have been found to be false and slanderous.

The letter read in part, “Dear sir, Re: Defamation of Chief Femi Kani-Kayode by Hon. Rotimi Amaechi in an interview with the Channels TV.

“Our representation is for Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, in respect of the aforedescribed occasion. It has come to our notice that you granted an interview with Channels TV on Thursday the 27th of April 2017. In that infamous interview which was broadcast throughout Nigeria and the United Kingdom, including postings and references to same in myriad of social media platforms, you made some serious remarks and allegations against our client, with respect to the role he played while serving as Minister of Aviation in 2007.

“You particularly alleged that our client failed to repair the Port Harcourt Airport Runway, but “he ran away with the sum of Two Billion Naira which was transferred for that purpose to the Ministry of Aviation, by the Rivers State government, under the administration of the erstwhile Governor Peter Odili.

“Our brief is to intimate you of this grievances, character breach on the person of our Client and his hard earned reputation.

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“Our Client has not only suffered the loss of good will, but has now been subjected to opprobrium by his fans, followers ad business associates. Being conscious of his rights, both in law and equity, our Client is minded to afford you an opportunity to undo the evil you have done, by retracting the said insalubrious remarks on the same Channels TV, and apologising to him, both on Channels TV and two other National Dailies.

“You are also advised to enter into negotiations with us for the sum of Five Billion Naira, being a token amount for penitence, as opposed to the magnitude of infraction caused to our Client’s nobility.

“It is imperative to bear in mind that you have 14 days from receipt of this letter to comply with the highlighted mitigating measures, the failure of which will leave our Client with no preferred alternative than to seek redress in Court, the said redress which shall also include a claim that you “are unfit to continue to hold the office of Minister of Transportation, because your defamatory and slanderous remarks were borne out of an inept appreciation of basic workings and operations of the Aviation Sector.

“Accept our professional regards.”

 

 

 

 

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