20th March, 2015
Funsho Arogundade
R&B singer, Lami Phillips is furious. The sexy singer is angry over the deflation of tyres of her car and others by some overzealous President Goodluck Jonathan’s security details during a cordon of environs around Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos during the interactive session between the president and some entertainers at the Eko Hotels & Suites on Sunday.
The singer, who was attending a beauty product launch at another venue close to Eko Hotels where Mr. President was with showbiz people, took to the Twitter and Instagram early this week to register her displeasure and lashed out at the president.
“So President Jonathan was passing Eko Hotel & all cars parked on the road had tyres deflated, including mine. Awesome move before elections,” she wrote on Twitter.
But her anti-Jonathan tweet later attracted some comments which made her to explain what really transpired in a lengthy message on her Instagram feed.
Her words: “Yesterday (Monday) I put out this tweet and since then it has become an issue. I shouldn’t have to explain myself as it is my twitter space and opinion but clearly freedom of speech is something we still have to negotiate on this side of the world.
“I was a guest at Maison Fahrenheit (along Adetokunbo Ademola Street) for an event. I had decided to drive myself and have an easy Sunday. On getting to the location the officials there in some uniform asked that I park on the road along with at least 20 other cars. The cars were parked properly and there was room for thoroughfare.
“At some point I asked my assistant to get something from my car. She got there to find policemen who claimed to be security details for the president ordering that all tyres should be deflated. She pleaded with them at which point they threatened bodily harm. All the cars on that side of the road were deflated. As far as I know there was no sign saying ‘no parking’. There was no announcement that any government official would be in town and therefore certain areas were out of bounds. I have been to several events at Eko Hotel and more in that area and that space has always been used for parking. This is the only incident that may indicate that perhaps when government officials are in town it is illegal. I still haven’t gotten clarity on that because I asked.
“Before I formed an opinion I asked myself what the deflation of the tyres solved. Had the cars been towed over claims that they were illegally parked with proof, I surely would be quiet. Had the cars been blocking the road I would be quiet. I pride myself in being a good obedient Nigerian citizen. After all when we go to other countries we obey their laws. My issue here is there was no clarity on what law was broken or what we did to deserve that.
“I wondered for a second what would have happened had I been alone unaware of the situation. Where would I have gotten help last night? How unsafe would it be at that time to seek help?” she asked.
Of course, Lami was not alone in that ugly situation. According to her, a man whose wife was pregnant came out of another building to find his tyres also deflated.
“There are several others too. We should not live in fear. We should live in freedom. If they were empowered to do this it is wrong,” the singer noted.
P.M.NEWS Entertainment Café gathered that many guests including those who attended the interactive session with the president too were utterly shocked to find their cars’ tyres deflated at that very late hours, some as late as past midnight.