Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has extended a heartfelt gesture of support to veteran gospel musician Yinka Ayefele, following a fire that ravaged his Music House in the Challenge area of Ibadan.

In the wake of the incident, Governor Makinde gifted Ayefele a brand-new SUV, recognizing his long-standing contributions to the Nigerian music and broadcast industry. The gesture has been widely praised as an act of compassion and solidarity.

The fire, which broke out on Friday, August 15, 2025, caused extensive damage to Ayefele’s media property  including two radio stations: Fresh FM 105.9 and Blast FM 98.3. Several parts of the building were destroyed, including the newsroom, transmitter room, server room, and valuable broadcast equipment  all while the stations were live on air.

Yinka Ayefele, who first shared news of the fire via his Facebook page, posted a video of the blazing structure with crying emojis, capturing the emotional toll of the tragedy.

In a subsequent statement, Ayefele’s management provided further details:

“We are sad to inform the general public that the head office of Fresh FM Nigeria, Challenge, Ibadan, was razed by a devastating fire incident this evening, August 15, 2025.

In the ensuing mishap, the studios of Fresh 105.9 and Blast 98.3 were badly burnt, along with proximal offices like the newsroom, transmitter/server room, and several equipment that got destroyed during active operations.

All efforts to fight the fire before the arrival of professional firefighters, using in-house extinguishers, proved abortive due to the intensity of the inferno.

We cannot yet quantify the full extent of the damage, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. We heartily appreciate every good-spirited Nigerian who joined us in battling the flames.”

Upon receiving the SUV from Governor Makinde, Ayefele expressed deep gratitude, calling the gift a “morale booster” and a symbol of hope in the midst of crisis.

See the original post and video below: 👇