Popular musician and broadcaster, Yinka Ayefele, has revealed that he has never dismissed any of his employees since establishing Fresh 105.9 FM ten years ago.
Ayefele made this known on Wednesday during a press conference to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Fresh FM.
The music star, who owns the radio station, recounted how his journey to success began after a life-changing accident in 1997.
“I worked at Radio Nigeria, Ibadan, producing jingles. I used the money I earned to buy a Beetle car, and on my way to Abeokuta in 1997, I had a terrible accident. That incident changed my life completely,” he said.
He explained that Fresh FM started as a live-streaming project on Facebook, which became popular among fans abroad before evolving into a licensed radio station.
“I started live streaming on Facebook, and my fans outside Nigeria loved it. That gave me the idea to start a radio station to change the face of broadcasting,” Ayefele said.
The broadcaster also recalled how security agents once invaded his office demanding to see his broadcast licence.
“It took me seven years to get the licence. If other radio station owners were investigated like I was, many wouldn’t exist today,” he stated.
Speaking about his management approach, Ayefele said:
“I have never sacked anyone in the last 10 years. The only time I did something close was advising one person to resign.”
He also reflected on the 2018 incident when the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi ordered the demolition of his Music House.
“The demolition brought global attention. BBC and CNN called me. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because Ajimobi later rebuilt the station,” he recalled.
Ayefele added that former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife supported him in obtaining the station’s broadcast licence.
