“The governor, it was gathered, also expressed willingness to ensure financial compensation to Ayefele, with the terms of the recompense to be discussed at a later meeting between the governor and the proprietor of the station.”
Towards resolving the crisis created by the demolition of the Music House housing Fresh F.M radio by the Oyo State government, the chairman of the radio station, Dr Yinka Ayefele and Governor Abiola Ajimobi, on Thursday, met at the Agodi Government House, with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, in attendance.
The two-level peace meeting, Tribune Online gathered, was facilitated by a top governorship aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Joseph Tegbe.
At the first level of the meeting, it was gathered the governor directed that a new building accommodating the additional parts of the building be approved for Ayefele immediately The ace gospel singer’s architect is to liaise with officials in the department of physical planning to work out the modalities and the approval, while the fence of the building would be moved back a few metres.
The governor, it was gathered, also expressed willingness to ensure financial compensation to Ayefele, with the terms of the recompense to be discussed at a later meeting between the governor and the proprietor of the station.
But the peaceful atmosphere that governed the first round of the meeting involving the governor gave way, as Ayefele and Arulogun were left to hold the second layer of the meeting.
Ayefele, a source said, was angered when the commissioner requested the management of Fresh F.M to be part of the “action plan” to redeem his image, that of the governor and the APC as part of the resolution of the matter.
An infuriated Ayefele was said to have rejected the request, saying Fresh F.M did not create the image problem and would not be part of its redemption.
Ayefele, said the source, wondered why the commissioner would be concerned about his image without considering the effect of the colossal loss to him and his staff.
He specifically accused Arulogun of goading the governor to carry out the demolition, instead of deploying his capacity to prevent demolition and the crisis that followed.
It was, however, unanimously agreed that hostilities and social media war between both the government and the radio station should end.
With the governor and Ayefele at the meeting were the Information Commissioner, Toye Arulogun; KPMG senior partner, Tegbe; the Director, Corporate Affairs of Yinka Ayefele Nigeria Limited, Mr David Ajiboye; anchor of Fresh F.M’s Political Circuit, Mr Isaac Brown, and others.
