There is a palpable confusion and tension among journalists in Osun State, as two leading members of the profession were last week transferred from the newsroom to the classroom.
The duo, Mr Adeyemi Aboderin, and Mrs Tunrayo Ayegbayo were both employees of Osun State Broadcasting Corporation in Ibokun and Osogbo stations respectively before the transfer.
While Aboderin is the incumbent Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Osun, Ayegbayo is the current Chairperson of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in the state.
However, mixed reactions have trailed the transfer of journalists who have put in over two decades of service in the profession.
A source in one of the stations, who pleaded anonymity because of the civil service rule, alleged that the transfer was done in bad faith mainly to spite the individuals and create confusion among journalists in the state.
According to the source, it is an antic of the government to silence some dissenting voices in the media, which they first put to test in the state-owned station.
“This is a lopsided transfer to say the least, no logical explanation can justify this error, it is odd as it is bizzare; it is indeed a conscious affront on the media in the state.
“I believe that the government is test running its instrument of repression against the media as gubernatorial election in the state draws near, it is pertinent for us to be vigilant and resist such antics”.
Meanwhile, moving to justify the action of the government, the Commissioner for Science and Technology in the state, Mr Remi Omowaye through a social media platform explained that the development is a fallout of a “harmonisation policy”.
“The transfer is in line with the harmonisation policy aimed at strengthening the Osun Civil Service. Those with Education qualifications, over 300 in number; have been moved to the classroom. No hard feelings,” Omowaye wrote on WhatsApp.
