Seyi Makinde gifts Yinka Ayefele brand new SUV days after fire incident at his radio station in Ibadan

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has gifted popular gospel singer, Yinka Ayefele, a brand-new multi-million naira SUV, just days after a fire incident at his Fresh FM radio station in Ibadan.

In a video shared on Tuesday by OyoAffairs on Twitter, the vehicle was seen being driven into the premises of Fresh FM, located in the Challenge area of Ibadan.

Later in the clip, Ayefele, accompanied by others, moved toward the car while singing praise songs.

Fresh FM Nigeria confirmed a fire outbreak that gutted its head office at Challenge, Ibadan, on Friday night.

In a statement late Friday and signed by the Group Head of Corporate Affairs, Fresh FM Nigeria and Yinka Ayefele Limited, Samson Akindele, the station disclosed that the fire outbreak affected key facilities, including the studios of Fresh 105.9 FM and Blast 98.3 FM

According to the statement, the fire also spread to adjoining offices such as the newsroom, transmitter/server room, and other vital broadcasting equipment, leaving extensive damage in its wake.

The management stated that initial efforts by staff to put out the fire with in-house extinguishers failed due to the intensity of the inferno before professional firefighters arrived.

According to the statement, the fire also spread to adjoining offices such as the newsroom, transmitter/server room, and other vital broadcasting equipment, leaving extensive damage in its wake.

On Saturday, Seyi Makinde visited the radio station and expressed his sympathy to Ayefele and the management.

He noted that the incident, though sad, had become a wake-up call to the state government on emergency management and fire response, saying that he would sit with the headship of the Oyo State Fire Service with a view to rejigging the service for a more effective service delivery.

Governor Makinde, who appreciated God that no life was lost to the inferno, promised that the state government would support the station in ensuring that it does not stay off-air for long, as it had shown that it was vital in providing information to residents of the state

What has happened here is a wake-up call for us as far as response time is concerned. I believe if we had taken Oyo State Fire Agency to the level that we want it to be, this damage would not have been to this extent.

“I would be sitting with the chairman of that agency to see what we can do. We have a fire station here around Scout Camp. If it had been equipped to the level that they could handle this, they would have been here before the people at the secretariat came.

“Those are things that I have seen that we have to work on. To the chairman and management of Fresh FM, I want to encourage you all. First, if you have this kind of situation, we have to be thankful to God that we didn’t lose any life.

“In terms of moving forward, I believe myself and the state government will give support to them. They are very vital to informing our people. We won’t let the station close for an extended period of time. So, I give them that assurance,” the governor stated.

In his response, Ayefele thanked Makinde for the visit to the station and appreciated all the fans of the radio station, including the first responders.