By Babatunde Tiamiyu
It has been 32 years since Babatunde Olayemi Idowu died in a ghastly motor accident along the Osogbo -Ibadan Highway.
At a Holy Communion Mass to mark his 70th Posthumous birthday at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Ogungbade, Ibadan, Oyo State, the Vicar in Charge, Rev. Father Michael Olayemi, appreciated journalists for their service to humanity.
The cleric called on the congregation to remember that, as humans, their stay on earth is temporary, calling on them to invest in their fellow humans as the late Babatunde Olayemi Idowu did while alive.
The chairman on the occasion, held at the deceased resident in Ogungbade Estate, a former General Manager, Broadcasting Organisation of Oyo State, BCOS, Mr Goke Adelakun, commended the widow of the late iconic journalist, Mrs. Adenike Idowu, for standing firm since she lost her husband 32 years ago.
Mr. Adelakun added that even though he never met the late broadcast journalist, the class of veteran and practising journalists who gathered for the posthumous birthday is a pointer to who the late Babatunde Idowu was while alive.
In a Keynote presentation on the occasion, the highly revered Broadcast Journalist, Dr. Yemi Farounbi, commended and celebrated the deceased’s wife, Mrs. Idowu, for her commitment and show of motherhood since the departure of her husband.
The keynote address titled “Nigerian Journalism: The Unintended Hazards of the Job.” Dr. Farounbi emphasised that journalism is more than a profession, but a calling to speak the truth and amplify the voices of the people.
The former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines Dr. Faroumbi, also highlighted the job hazards faced by journalists, including harassment, cyberbullying and psychological challenges and demanded laws and policies that would protect journalists in the country.
A close friend and colleague of the deceased, Mr. Adetoye Smoulet – Shittu – Alamu, echoed the views of other veterans, describing late Mr. Idowu as an epitome of professionalism and moral standards.
The widow of the late broadcast journalist, Mrs. Adenike Idowu, thanked all who came to celebrate her late husband.
In attendance at the event were retired Permanent Secretaries, former and current General Managers of Broadcast Media Houses, Directors and Heads of News, a former Assistant Corps Marshall, FRSC, Olu – Mic Olagunju, Rtd, Baaroyin Tunde Busari of The Tabloid.net and Mr. Dare Fasube of Vanguard Newspaper.
