The Management of Premium Eagle Media Limited, publishers of The Eagle Online, has reacted to concerns raised by some members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, especially the representative of Lagos Mainland Constituency I, Moshood Oshun, over stories published by the medium, being mischievously circulated within the Assembly.
The story, with the headline: “COVID-19: I warned our Speaker before Braimoh’s death — Lagos lawmaker (https://t.co/iTpAtkpY39?amp=1
The first story, credited to Oshun, was from a statement he issued on Sunday and published by the News Agency of Nigeria.
In the story, Oshun, without a reference to the death of the representative of Kosofe Constituency II in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Tunde Braimoh, sought to provide explanation for his position to Obasa on the need for lawmakers to observe protocols put in place by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control for the curbing of the spread of COVID-19 in the House.
The lawmaker had on June 30 walked out of the chamber during plenary after refusing to take his allocated seat in the chamber over the failure to observe social distancing.
Ten days after, precisely on July 10, 2020, Braimoh died.
The Management of Premium Eagle Media Limited said it was this development vis-a-vis the concern raised by Oshun that resulted in situating the story in the context of the warning before and then the death of Braimoh.
Oshun then went on to say in the statement: “I had approached the Speaker (Mudashiru Obasa) to complain about the sitting arrangement, especially as it concerns me.
“My concern was that there is the need for more spacing in the sitting arrangement in the chamber.
“My point was that some of us are not exactly young and you know how this pandemic deals with people of the older age bracket and I suggested that since there is space in the chamber, there was no need crowding ourselves around.
“After I had told him in his office, I thought we had understanding about the issue, but when I came into the chamber and sat on another seat, the Speaker frowned at it and ordered that I return to my regular seat and when he could not see things from my point of view, I decided to leave the chamber so that peace can reign.
“However, I was accused of walking out on the Speaker by a section of the media, who said my complaint was that I was not comfortable on my allocated seat.
“That couldn’t have been the case because all the chairs are the same.
“I have been using it over the years.
“They are comfortable.
“That was not what happened.”
However, by the time the story was copied and sent round the Assembly, the headline of the second story had been added to it, making it look like Oshun also made the statement.
Ostensibly, this was to add to the crisis in the Assembly, which had led to the suspension of Oshun and three others.
The four comprised two Principal Officers: Chief Whip, Lateef Abiru and Deputy Majority Leader Olumuyiwa Jimoh, as well as two other members: Oshun and Kazeem Adewale Raheem.
Reacting to the development, the Managing Editor of The Eagle Online, Dotun Oladipo, advised those seeking to fester the crisis in the Assembly to leave the media out of it.
Oladipo said the news filtering in that arrangements were being made to set up a Committee to probe Oshun over the stories was out of place as a little search would have clearly shown that mischief makers were behind its circulation.
He said: “Politicians should learn to leave the media out of their mischiefs.
“Hon. Oshun only expressed his position on an issue in an Assembly where he has such a right to so do.
“Trying to use two different reports to fester a crisis in an Assembly that needs all the peace it can in a bid to attend to the numerous issues facing Lagosians will not only be a waste of precious time, but also a disservice to those who elected these lawmakers to promote good governance in the state.
“This a a no issue at all.”
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