Voice from Ibadan, Bolatito Joseph: Serenading a Veteran Broadcaster at 62

 By Tunji Oladejo

 Off and on air, always on point! Bolatito Janet Joseph turns 62. She hails from Isale Atowoda Compound, Nalende, in the Ibadan North Local Government Area and belongs to the Ibadan Mothers of Peace and Progress (IMPP), an affiliate of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), where she has contributed to the advancement of women in Ibadanland and humanity.* 

A University of Ibadan alumna and former Zonal Director of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) at the Ibadan Zonal Station, she managed newsrooms with the same care and order as one would use when braiding hair. While she led, community voices topped the bulletins; young producers learnt to file Yoruba and English with equal care and any column that felt hollow was cut.

She is a veteran in everyway. You knew a Bolatito Joseph's bulletin by its pace—no hurry, no holes. She taught her presenters and reporters to write for the vulcaniser at Iwo Road who still knows good Yoruba from bluster. Today the mic is hers by right, not by role. Her question to the reporters and on-air personalities was, “Can your audience understand it?" It still holds.

As the radio splinters into podcasts, her compass stays steady: clarity, courtesy and public good. After retirement, Mrs Joseph is now the General Manager of the Reiz FM at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, where she continues to raise the bar in broadcasting.

At home, she’s a wife and grandmother. May the years ahead bring you excellent health, blessings, sound fortune and joy, accompanied by the sound of grandchildren's laughter.

Happy birthday, Iya, the broadcaster! Happy birthday, BJJ