A clearer picture has emerged following the fire that gutted sections of Fresh FM Nigeria’s Ayefele Music House in Ibadan on Friday evening, as the station’s management recounts how the incident unfolded.
Speaking with Ibadancity Announcer, the Group Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Samson Akindele, confirmed that the fire started shortly after 8:00 p.m. but initially went undetected inside the building. According to him, staff members inside the studios were unaware of the danger until smoke began to seep into their work-spaces.
“Even the people in the studios didn’t know there was fire in the building until the smoke started coming in. It was people outside who first noticed the flames from the roof and raised the alarm,” Akindele explained.
Immediate evacuation was carried out, while residents and passersby rushed to the scene to help. “Neighbors around Ayefele Music House were our first responders, fetching water in buckets, using detergent, and whatever they could find to suppress the fire before help came,” he added.
Akindele lamented that professional help came late. “We called the fire service, but they didn’t arrive until around 9:00 p.m., more than 40 minutes after the fire had started. By then, the fire had spread beyond our control,” he said.
By the time the flames were extinguished, the damage was extensive. Blast FM and Fresh FM studios, the newsroom, server room, Dr. Yinka Ayefele’s office, Blast FM’s staff room, and several top-floor offices had been destroyed.
Despite the setback, Fresh FM quickly improvised. “Glory to God and to the effort of our engineers, we are back on air from a makeshift studio. Fresh FM resumed first because it is the mother station, but the other stations will soon return as well,” Akindele confirmed.
On the state’s emergency preparedness, Akindele was blunt: “In my personal opinion, emergency response in Oyo State is nothing to write home about. The firemen who came did their best with the little equipment available, and we salute their courage. But government needs to do more, especially in reducing response time and equipping fire services properly.”
The incident has sparked conversations, not only because of the magnitude of the loss but also due to its timing. Many recall that the Ayefele Music House was partially demolished by the Oyo State government in August 2018. Responding to speculations about the recurrence of crises in August, Akindele dismissed such thoughts.
“I will call it coincidence. We don’t believe it’s designed from anywhere. If it is from the evil ones, we don’t subscribe to that. It’s just coincidental,” he stated.
