Oyo State governor, Engr Seyi Makinde on Saturday visited the headquarters of Fresh FM in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, about 24 hours after parts of the fire incident that gutted the radio station on Friday.
Governor Makinde, who arrived at the station at about 7:30 pm, sympathized with Chairman of the Radio Station, Dr Joel Olayinka Ayefele, and the management.
Makinde said although the incident was sad, it had become a wake-up call to the state government on emergency management and fire response.
The governor said he would sit with the headship of the Oyo State Fire Service to rejig the service for a more effective service delivery.
Makinde, who extended appreciation to God that no life was lost to the inferno, promised the personal and the support of the state government towards ensuring that it does not stay off-air for long, noting that Fresh FM had shown that it was crucial 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,” Governor Makinde stated.
Responding, Ayefele thanked Governor Makinde for the visit and appreciated all the fans of the radio station, including the first responders.
Earlier in a statement on Friday, the Group Head of Corporate Affairs of Fresh FM Nigeria and Yinka Ayefele Limited, Samson Akindele had informed that the studios of Fresh FM and Blast FM were badly burnt.
“In the ensuing mishap, the studios of Fresh 105.9 and Blast 98.3 were badly burnt, with proximal offices like the newsroom, the transmitter/server room and several equipment that got razed during active operations,” Akindele said.
