Kehinde Adewole, Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government and the spokesman of immediate past governor of the state, Ayo Fayose, Lere Olayinka, on Thursday, exchanged verbal invectives over the sudden closure of a radio station ‘Our Peoples FM’, allegedly said to be owned by Fayose.
General Manager of the station, Mr. Layi Oyawa, accused the security agencies of ‘slapping’ and manhandling him after they forcefully entered the premises to enforce the closure order .
The staff of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, alongside policemen from the Counter Terrorism Unit, besieged the one-storey twin building around 9.38a.m. to paste the notice of closure on the wall.
The enforcement staff and the CTU operatives entered the building and ordered the workers led by Oyawa out of the premises, which led to a confrontation between the station’s GM and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Mr. Ademiloye Fasiku.
As the argument raged, the policemen ascended the staircase and ordered the staff to switch off the transmitter, saying the property had been shut down for contravening building development order.
READ ALSO: UN seeks $920m to aid Rohingya refugees
Speaking with newsmen, Fasiku said four letter had allegedly been written to the station on the need to comply with some laid down regulations, but those pleads were rebuffed.
“We are here basically to enforce compliance with urban development plan of government.
“We have given them notices but they never responded. We asked them to submit their approved plan for clearance, but nothing was done.
“Application was submitted to the Ministry on 7th September, 2018 by Mr. Olusola Micheal Adeyinka with the Title ‘Application for Mast Construction’ without indication to use the property for Radio Station.
“The second application by Finger Print Consult Associate also failed to mention Radio Station as part of its proposals. The ministry was
able to deduce out the use which the applications were meant for through the working drawings, further observations from the filed documents obtained from the ministry are in tandem with the ministry’s recommendation as listed below.
“Following this discrepancies, a penalty charge of N985,000 was recommended but was not paid.
“We there recommended that since the developer of People’s FM Radio
Station has decisively failed to mention in any of the submitted applications, the original intention to use the development for radio station and not for mast only, failed to comply with the ministry directive to stop further activities on the site but went further with broadcasting operations, it is expedient for Ekiti State Government to give a directive to the appropriate MDA to effect the closure of People’s FM Radio Station as deterrent for other defiance who may want to undermine the Laws of the State”.
The General Manager of the station, Layi Oyawa, described as ‘gestapo manner’ the way the station was closed down as unfortunate and brutish.
“They police the staff of the Ministry brought slapped me. They assaulted me and tore by suit, this is uncalled for.
“They said they wrote notices to us, who did they address it to? From whom did the letter emanate?
“The only letter I got was from the Signage and Advertisement Agency.
Why is this coming at this time? However, we are going to address it the legal way”, he said.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Drama at CCT as Onnoghen refuses to sit
Also responding, Fayose, in a statement by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, said the action was carried out as a prelude to the alleged rigging the APC intend to perpetrate in Saturday and March 2.
His words:” We are sure this was done as a prelude to the rigging they intend to perpetrated in Saturday and March 2, but like every other tyrannies, this one too will fail.
“The same Fayemi, who operated an illegal radio during the Abacha days could get to this level of tyranny, is another sad reminder of the hypocrisy of his claim to have fought for democracy. Obviously, he fought for his pocket and personal survival.
“From information made available to the public by the radio station, the government requested for payment of N175 million as Signage Fee, which for all intent and purposes, was ridiculous.
“It is sad that Fayemi chose to take laws into his hands by ordering policemen attached to him to invade a private business premises and close it down without order of any court”, Fayose said.
We, however, which to assure Fayemi that his government of tyranny will come to an end one day and very soon. Then, he will be called to account.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFCC), had last year placed a notice of investigation on the building on the premises.
