Fresh FM’s Music House Contravenes Planning Laws, Oyo Govt Explains.

The Oyo State Government has explained that the demolition of a private radio located in Ibadan, the state capital, was not based on sentiments. The radio station owned by the popular artiste, Yinka Ayefele, was demolished in the early hours of Sunday, a situation which led to protest by residents of Ibadan. The state government said a notice was earlier served to Music House, Fresh FM 105.9, adding that the contravention notices were served to different organisations in the state since June 14, 2017, including all radio stations in the state. A statement by the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun, disclosed that the contravention notices were served after the government observed that property owners were deviating from the originally approved building plans without seeking approvals from the Oyo State Bureau of Physical Planning and Development Control. “The decision of the state government to demand for the building approved plan was not peculiar to Music House, Fresh FM as several companies and institutions such as University of Ibadan, Kola Daisi University, University College Hospital, banks and radio stations in the state were asked to provide their Planning approval. “The government recently demolished several banks ATM extension and some local government structures in the state,” the statement read in part. Arulogun said the Music House building approval submitted to the state government was actually meant for an office complex and not a radio station. According to him, this contravenes the Oyo State Physical Planning and Development Control laws, sections 30, 31 and 32 of the Oyo State Physical Planning and Urban Development Law of 2012. The Commissioner said another letter was sent to Music House on June 29, 2018, to submit a fresh building plan application that will reflect the existing structures on site. This, he said, the radio house ignored as the state government received no response end till date. He said that the deviant posture of the radio station prompted the Bureau to serve a three-day Demolition Notice on August 13, 2018, which expired on the August 15, 2018. Arulogun said further that the government had received petitions after three fatal accidents occurred around Music House in the last nine months. According to him, the petitioners urged the government to look at the physical structure of the organisation in relation to the dual carriageway which easily leads to accidents.]]>