Journalism, Most Dangerous Profession – Cleric

Rev. Father Anthony Ijasan, has described journalism as one of the most dangerous professions in the world, due to the hazards faced by journalists in the performance of their duties.

Ijasan who is the Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Ekiti made the remark in Ado-Ekiti at a remembrance service organised by the Correpondent’s Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ekiti, to mark the one year rememberance of the late Dipo Okunmuyide.

Okunmuyide was until his death in June 2010, the State Correspondent of National Life Newspaper.

Delivery a sermon from a Catholic Bible passage of Wisdom 4 verse 7-9, the priest regretted that journalists faced a lot of risks in the course of news gathering in order to keep the public abreast of happenings in the society.

The cleric, who decried the low turn out at the ceremony, regretted that in spite of the

significant roles journalists played in the society, little or nothing was done to appreciate

them, saying they needed a lot of prayers to succeed.

“Let us always be conscious of ourselves and project our own,” he said.

Ijasan, while observing that death was a debt every mortal must pay, said that Okunmuyide had completed his time on earth and must return to his creator at the appointed time.

“It is our wish to live long, but it is God who determines how long. If we truly love him (Okunmuyide), what we should do is to continue to pray for him and the family he left behind,” he said.

The cleric, who prayed for the deceased and his immediate family members, advised those he left behind to put their trust in God, saying that God knows why he called their loved one at the time He did.

The chairman of the chapel, Mr Tayo Ikujuni, said the service was organised to pray for the deceased and his family and urged the family not to lose hope but to continue to pray for the repose of the soul of their beloved one.

Ikujuni, who is the State Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that the chapel was planning to make the programme an annual event.

Mr Tayo Okunmuyide, eldest son of the deceased, expressed the family’s appreciation to the chapel.

Present at the prayer session were journalists in the state, the wife of the deceased,

Princess Oyinade Okunmuyide, his two sons, Tayo and Seun, the deceased’s sister, Mrs Olanike Okunmuyide and Mrs Toyin Ayeni.