A versatile Islamic cleric and scholar, Professor Sabitu Ariyo Olagoke has urged broadcasters and On Air Personalities (OAP) to desist from hyping and glorifying tragic events in their radio presentations.
Professor Olagoke, who is also the Founder and Spiritual Head of Shafaudeen in Islam Worldwide, noted with concern that some Newscasters and Presenters of radio Programmes are in the habit of reading news of tragic events with joy and much hyping instead of playing down such sad news and read it solemnly and soberly.
“Tragedies, whether natural or man-made are sad events which bring no joy to all. These tragic events among which are pre mature deaths of youths, murder, suicide, accidents, disaster, rape, child molestation, incest, and other ugly incidents are not what should be celebrated or talked about jokingly and frequently because they are not pleasant, but only bring sadness and emotional pains to listeners. But it’s unfortunate that these sad news are dominating our airwaves, with Presenters and OAPs reading them happily and even joke with them in a such a way that makes readers wonder why such traumatic tragedies are being celebrated”, the cleric noted.
According to Professor Olagoke, glorifying tragedies on radio is immoral and capable of doing great damage to people’s psyche.
“I often wonder what’s happening to our moral values when I listened to Newscasters reading news of tragic incidents happily and jokingly. This habit is turning us to sadists. We now derive joy in others’ misfortunes. We now find fun in what brings pain and sadness to others. This is inhuman”, the retired academician said.
The Engineer turned cleric expressed his reservations about this phenomenon to the Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Ademola Babalola when he paid him a courtesy call in his office at the NUJ Press Centre Iyaganku Ibadan, shortly before he delivered a lecture at the Fourth Ramadan Lecture of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Oyo State Chapter on Wednesday.
The versatile Scholar called on the Oyo NUJ Chairman to prevail on his colleagues to desist from such unholy and unprofessional acts.
“Honestly I see this act as immoral. It is normalisations of abnormalities and absurdities. Because of these presentations, we are losing our humanity. We now view our fellow human beings’ misfortunes as no big deals.This cannot continue. I therefore urge you to tell your colleagues to desist from this act in the best interest of our dear country”, Professor Olagoke pleaded.
Responding to the Islamic Scholar’s observations, the Chairman Oyo NUJ, Comrade Ademola Babalola thanked Professor Olagoke for his concern and service to humanity.
Babalola promised to do the needful regarding what the reverred cleric pointed out.
