As soon as the caterpillar hit the building, our workers rushed out of the building but the security people, policemen that came with them started chasing us to go back to the building they were demolishing as if go back and die in the building
Emmanuel Ukudolo l Friday, August 24, 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajumobi on Thursday night swallowed his pride after ordering his men to embark on demolition of Music House, owned by renowned musician, Yinka Ayefele.
Ajumobi last night at 11 PM called Chairman of the Fresh FM, Dr. Yinka Ayefele to a meeting in Government House, Ibadan, to delibrate on the demolition of the Music House which has pitched the people of Oyo State against the APC-led government just few months to the general election.
In attendance at the meeting were members of the governor’s inner cabinet, the Olofin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi (III), and members of the APC in Oyo State.
During the meeting, the governor, according to Head of News, Fresh FM, Mr. Samson Adeyinka decided on modalities to get out of the current imbroglio. According to him, the governor agreed to compensate the musician for the patial demolition of the building housing the music station.
Music House is worth N800 million, according to owners of the station. He said the governor promised to call Yinka Ayefele for another meeting to work out modalities for the settlement. He added the governor agreed to settle the matter out of court based on the way the matter has turned out beyond what they anticipated but that the management of Fresh Fm is yet to withdraw the case from court and watching out if the government would live up to the promise.
He said that contrary to government propaganda, Music House did not violate any provision of the building regulation.
Adeyinka who was speaking this morning on Nigerian Info, gave a hint of what happended during the demolition exercise. According to him, buldozers from the government of Oyo State descended the building at around 6:30 am while the station was already broadcasting from its live studio. He said that workers however got the hint that the buldozers had been around since 5am that last Sunday, August 19, 2018.
He said that the buldozer started the exercise with the newsroom, library and the chairman office which are now completely destroyed and that the live studio was situated behind the building. He related: “As soon as the buldozer hit the building, our workers rushed out of the building but the security people, policemen that came with them started chasing us to go back to the building they were demolishing as if go back and die in the building”, he said.
He narrated that Fresh Fm aborted transmission immediately but resumed later through a back-up studio. He said the radio station was set up in such a way that it could broadcast from any part of the world using mobile equipment. He said that as soon as test by structural engineers clarified that it was only some aspects of the building that were affected, staff moved back to the safer areas of the building and that now the station is on air both on the internet and terrestial.
He said that power supply is yet to be restored to the station since the demolision exercise was carried out.
