Dear Radio Fans,
IT’S A GOOD TIME TO SAY SEVEN ASTAGHFIRULLAH!
The story of Ajibola Akinyefa and Ilaji FM has generated numerous comments from us all in the last few days. I must admit that I personally find many of your comments on different platforms ridiculous, negative, derogatory, condescending, unfair, and disrespectful to Akinyefa.
It’s painful that some of us believe we love Akinyefa more than he loves himself. Many of us think we are more conscientious and wiser than him because, according to many of our comments, he did not calculate well and did not look before he leaped. Some of us even called him an ingrate, disloyal, greedy, restless, and covetous, among other things, simply because he dared to dream and aspire for a better future.
One of the most ridiculous comments I read says he is money-minded and not professional. I wish you people knew that in this industry, someone could be stuck on the same salary level for 10 years. I wish you understood that most media organizations only review salaries when the presenter receives an offer from another station. I wish you knew it’s possible for someone to be one of the most famous voices in the city and yet be unable to afford three decent meals a day.
I sincerely hope you know that this radio work is not pensionable, and all a presenter has is whatever they can make while they are active. I wish you knew that stations don’t hesitate or think twice to relegate a presenter the day he or she stop being of value to them.
When I moved from Space FM (now of blessed memory) in 2015 to the then newly established Lagelu FM, moving from a 10,000 Naira monthly take-home to 90,000 Naira, I remember meeting one of my die-hard fans, Mama Soldier, somewhere around Challenge area. She was telling me she wished I hadn’t left Space FM because my show was more popular there than it was at Lagelu. I told her, “Grandma, if you truly love me, you won’t wish that for me.”
Sometimes, you just want to enjoy the presenter you love and feel good; you don’t really care about their well-being or fulfillment, which is selfish, even though it’s because you sincerely love them.
I remember how I hated Bubble Master of BCOS FM back in those days because I was a big fan of his show, and suddenly, I stopped hearing him. When I asked around, they told me he had relocated abroad, and I was furious at him for not being a focused professional. The truth is that I would miss him and his shows, and I only cared about that.
I also noticed that some of us who were harsh with our comments because we felt he betrayed Lagelu FM by leaving them for the second time, after his first experience at Agidigbo and how Lagelu magnanimously took him back afterwards. My question is, do you think he was accepted back at Lagelu out of pity? I laugh at you if you believe in that narration. What you don’t know is that business decisions at some levels are not made with emotions. His second chance was never out of pity; it was purely a well-calculated business decision by the management of Lagelu FM.
If you are conversant with West-Midlands and their management, you will know they don’t make decisions based on sentiments. If he wasn’t considered valuable, he would never have gotten that second chance, regardless of his fallout with Agidigbo.
So, please, let’s cut him some slack and stop making it feel as if the station gave him a lifeline when he was down, out, and of no value at all.
Besides all these, if my calculations are right, in the last 10 years, this would be the third time Akinyefa is moving, for God’s sake. He moved from Lagelu to Agidigbo, back to Lagelu, and then to Ilaji. Do you guys even know how many times a top-shot banker would have moved within that period? Before you tell me banking and radio are not the same thing, are they not operating under the same economy? Are they not buying in the same market?
How many of us would get an offer to double or multiply our present salary in line with our ambition and would even pause to consider anything before jumping at it? Especially when it’s not as if our present salary is more than enough to cater to our needs, as in the case of footballers and Saudi offers.
I am not saying this is the case with Ajibola Akinyefa, but it’s a question worth asking. What if his career goal is to head a station, and he can’t see it happening at Lagelu FM? Would you have suggested he let go of his dream “to pay back a debt?”
Finally, if all the information in the public domain about this matter is anything to go by – specifically, Mr. Akinyefa’s statement and Ilaji Group management’s response – I think Mr. Ajibola Akinyefa should seek legal redress. With my basic knowledge of the law, once a contract is signed by both parties, one party cannot unilaterally change the terms of the contract without obtaining the consent of the other party. If they truly want to terminate the contract, the party must be paid off. I believe football fans are familiar with these terms.
But, dear radio fans, while we allow both parties to assert and enforce their rights – or watch them hand everything over to God, as we often do in this part of the world – please let those of us who are not in Akinyefa’s shoes refrain from pontificating and postulating as if we are experts. It’s okay to have some bias towards any of the parties involved. It’s even understandable if some of us are loyal to those who have a grudge against Akinyefa and feel it’s karma at work. Sincerely, you are at liberty to feel however you want. However, please try not to offend God while expressing your opinions, and if you feel you have already offended God, it’s a good time to say seven Astaghfirullah!
Yours truly,
Afouda Samuel