Ajimobi, Alaafin, Ayefele to resolve face-off over Music House demolition

Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and proprietor of Fresh FM in Ibadan, Yinka Ayefele, met yesterday to resolve the face-off that followed the partial demolition of Music House, the structure housing the private radio station


 Ayefele arrived the governor’s office in Agodi at 11.30 a.m in a black Toyota Sequoia Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) with registration number (Lagos) AAA700FE. He was ushered in by a leading governorship aspirant on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Joseph Tegbe. Ayefele was accompanied by a director in his company, Mr David Ajiboye, a radio host, Mr Isaac Brown, among other officials.

 The popular singer was led into a private waiting area ahead of the governor’s arrival. Ajimobi went straight into the Executive Chamber where he met  executive members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). Also, Ayefele’s visit to the government secretariat coincided with that of traditional rulers from Oyo town and Oke Ogun, who paid homage to the governor for the Eid-el-Kabir festivities.

 The over 30 monarchs comprised of first-class and second-class obas from the zones. They were led by Oba Adeyemi. The NURTW members were on a condolence visit to the governor over the death of the union’s Oyo State and Southwest Chairman, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (aka Fele). Ajimobi proceeded into the private suite to meet Ayefele and his team.

 The governor was accompanied by Oba Adeyemi; the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola; the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdulganiy Adekunle; the Iba of Kishi, Oba Moshood Aweda; the Onpetu of Ijeru, Oba Sunday Oyediran, among others.

Top government officials at the meeting included the Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Toye Arulogun; the Director General of Bureau of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Waheed Gbadamosi, who also doubles as the Special Adviser to Governor Ajimobi on Physical Planning and Development Control;

the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication and Strategy, Mr Bolaji Tunji and the APC governorship aspirant, Joseph Tegbe. Others are Special Advisers to the Governor (on Efficiency) Dr. Isaac Ayandele and Mr. Abidemi Siyanbade (Community Relations).

 The meeting, which ended around 7 p.m, was said to have proffered a political solution to the controversy surrounding last Sunday’s partial demolition of Ayefele’s Music House on Aare Arisekola Alao Way at Challenge in Ibadan, valued at N800 million.

 It was learnt that Ajimobi expressed the willingness to resolve the controversy, insisting that neither himself nor his government had any issue with either Ayefele or Fresh FM but with the structure housing the radio station. According to him, the issue is a battle for the supremacy of the rule of law and respect for constituted authority.

The governor, a source at the meeting said, expected every entrepreneur to maintain political neutrality. He said such persons may neither have friends nor enemies in the political class but must discharge their services to the public in line with the law. Ajimobi was said to have advised Ayefele and his team to mind their utterances and what people send to the public domain in their names.

The governor said this was the reason the issue generated unnecessary heat. He added that the controversy would not deter his administration from respecting the law. The Alaafin reportedly urged Ajimobi to temper justice with mercy and allow a peaceful and amicable resolution of the matter.

 The frontline monarch reportedly said it was necessary to allow sound reasoning to prevail without any side claiming to be right or wrong. Ayefele was said to have apologised to the governor, acknowledging that he regretted not coming personally to see him when the matter first broke out. The musician reportedly said his efforts to meet Ajimobi before the partial demolition met brick walls.

 He expressed readiness for a peaceful resolution of the matter in the interest of peace. Neither Ayefele’s team nor a representative of the government agreed to address reporters on the outcome of the meeting.