The Ekiti State Government on
Thursday shut down a radio station named Our People’s 104.1 FM, over none
compliance with building erection regulation in the state.
The station, located at Fajuyi
area of Ado Ekiti, is believed to belong to former governor, Ayodele Fayose.
The General Manager of the
station, Mr. Layi Oyawa, accused security agencies of ‘slapping’ and
manhandling him after they forcefully entered the premises to enforce the
closure order.
Staffers of the Ministry of
Lands, Housing and Urban Development, alongside policemen from the Counter
Terrorism Unit, CTU, besieged the one-storey twin building around 9.38am 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 has been shut down for contravening building
development order.
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) had last year confiscated the building on the premises that
it was fraudulently acquired by the former governor but was later reopened
after the case was taken to court.
Speaking with newsmen, Fasiku
said four letters had allegedly been written to the station on the need to
comply with some laid down regulations, but those pleas were rebuffed.
Fasiku said: “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 Nine Hundred and Eight Five Thousand Naira only (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 GM Of the station, Layi
Oyawa, described the alleged gestapo manner with which the station was closed
down as unfortunate and brutish.
“The police, the staff of the
Ministry brought slapped me. They assaulted me and tore my 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.
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 intends to perpetrate on Saturday and
March 2, advising Fayemi to stop acting like a tyrant.
“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.
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