Ayefele
Popular
music producer and Gospel musician, Mr Yinka Ayefele, has expressed
`profound gratitude’ to the Governor of Oyo State, Senator
Abiola Ajimobi, for assisting him to remodel and rebuild his Music
House to a better edifice.
Ayefele,
who runs a popular radio station, Fresh FM, in Ibadan, led top
management of the station on what he called a `thank you’ visit to
the governor, in his office, on Tuesday.
The
façade of the building housing the radio station had been partially
demolished by the state’s Physical and Urban Development Control in
August 2018 for contravening physical planning and urban development
laws.
But,
the governor had intervened in the matter following personal pleas by
Ayefele and the expression of his preparedness to comply with the
restructuring model proposed by the agency.
The
agency had justified its action on the initial refusal of the
management of the building to rectify the infractions and its
insistence on safeguarding lives and property of residents and
commuters plying the Music House area.
Aiyefele,
who described Ajimobi as a listening father and good leader, said he
had learnt lessons from the whole saga and had appreciated the need
for mutual understanding and cooperation between the government and
citizens.
He
said: `I have come here with my management team to say a big `thank
you’ to our father (Ajimobi), a good leader and someone who I will
boldly describe as a good example to this generation for his large
heart.
``I
also want to thank all the people working with the governor,
especially the committee that worked with our own management
committee on the remodelling and reconstruction of the Music House
for their exemplary conduct.
``God
has wiped away my sorrow through you (governor). You have helped me
personally in this matter, because I have been down emotionally since
the partial demolition of the building. I have learnt lessons from
the incident. Now, the building has become a better edifice.
``On
behalf of my family, my staff and all the good people that expressed
concern when the incident occurred, I hereby express my profound
gratitude to the governor for the kind gesture.’’
As
a mark of appreciation, Ayefele later presented a sketched portrait
of the governor to him, while Ajimobi in turn commended the gospel
musician for the bold step.
Commenting
further, Ajimobi, said that institutions and citizens must not forget
the lessons in the whole matter.
He
said: ``It is the grace and mercy of God that have made it possible
for us to be where we are today; to be able to contribute to the
society. I must first admit that my brother, Aiyefele, has
contributed and he is still contributing immensely to the society.
“As
government, it is our duty to promote and enhance the safety,
security and socio-economic interests of the citizens. As a
government, these we have been doing since 2011. We have been
promoting peace, security and the rule of law.
``I
am glad at your initiative to come here to express gratitude; even
the initiative you took initially to come and discuss with the
government when our agency insisted that the rules guiding the urban
and physical development must be adhered to.
``We
agreed on a damage control because laws had been broken already. It
is gratifying that you came and agreed that you would comply with the
laws. I must say that you played a major role as a good citizen to
ensure that government’s goals and objectives were protected.
``The
Music House is no longer a death trap now. Those within the
neighbourhood and commuters are no longer being obstructed from the
traffic situation on adjoining roads. Those cursing me then, where
are they now that we have corrected the contraventions?
``Citizens
should know that government is for them and will always support them.
But in doing this, they should also be prepared to obey the laws of
the land because nobody is above the law.’’
The
governor, who prayed for the continuous success of Ayefele and any
business he ventures into, promised to feature on his radio station
for an interview soon.
He
used the opportunity to admonish the media to guard against
sensationalism and to be objective and factual by always establishing
the veracity of their stories before publishing them.
Ajimobi,
who said he appreciated the important role of the media as the fourth
estate of the realm, said that journalists also owed it as a duty to
promote the socio-economic values of the society and the rule of law.
According
to him, the rule of law is paramount, adding that developing
societies are built on strict adherence to the rule of law.
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