Yesterday was former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida's 65th birthday. He attended a seminar with his son, who had just been released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after 48 hours questioning over his ownership of shares in a telecoms company.
When I heard this I asked if anyone had gone up to him and asked him about his son at the meeting. I was laughed out of court.
"Security agents will arrest you!"
"It is not possible".
Today the BBC Hausa service reported that Reuters and the Financial Times had 'an exclusive interview' with IBB. Now both those organisations are capable of organising their own exclusives, I'm sure. But I'm willing to bet they button-holed him after the event. And we were left getting the story third hand.
Someone I spoke to said: "Nigerian politician's have total contempt for the local press... They would much prefer to speak to the international organisations."
I'm sure this is true, but isn't it a two sided relationship? Why should Nigerian journalists allow this to be so?
"Well there was a time a few years back we wanted to get an interview with IBB, we went to Minna, nothing, we tried every angle, and then he's on the BBC talking about the very same issue we wanted to ask him about."
But isn't there room for a single Nigerian journalist who has the integrity and the chutzpah to talk to these people? I'm sure if one did, the IBBs of the world would respect them for it.
"Its a heirarchy. They are very elitist and look down on us."
I don't know... isn't this the knee jerk fatalist reaction that's infecting me too?
"You're right, there should be, but this situation arises out of their contempt for the press, from their continued grip on power. Babangida is a former dictator and a very powerful man. He himself is very gracious and well mannered, but he surrounds himself with a security net of people who could be very dangerous. Because he knows that one day people will come asking questions he cannot answer. The arrest of his son is a warning to him. It is targeted at him. Its generally known that the shares aren't his son's. The EFCC would be right to ask 'where did you get the money for all these shares?' And the answer is that it came from his father. Now where does his father get it from? There was a story going around the polo crowd that when his son graduated from univerisity he went to his father and said: I want to get into business, I'm not doing anything at the moment' and the father said 'Son with all i have accumulated your children and your children's children will not finish it. you like playing polo? Do that if you want.' Its one of those stories that has been around for a while. One of those that just might be true."