Dr Yinka Ayefele – No Pain, No Gain
A man who has faced some of life’s toughest battles and emerged stronger each time.
Many may never have witnessed the full extent of his potential as a world-class Tungba gospel musician and successful media entrepreneur if not for the life-changing accident that confined him to a wheelchair in 1997. That moment became a major turning point in his life. Many thought his story would end after that accident but he turned pain into purpose to become who he is today
Seven years ago, in the month of “August”, the state government partially demolished Fresh FM in a bid to “deal with him.” Instead of giving up, he rose above the setback, and the same government later rebuilt what was pulled down.
A few months ago, Fresh FM Ado-Ekiti was struck by a devastating windstorm that damaged the mast and destroyed equipment worth millions of naira. The mast fell directly into the bedroom of the former first Lady of Ekiti State – Erelu Olabisi Fayemi, thank God she wasn’t in bed at that time.
And only weeks ago, our GGM, Alhaji Abolade Salami, narrowly escaped an accident right in front of the Fresh FM office — an incident that could have cast a shadow of controversy over Dr. Yinka Ayefele if it had ended differently.
Now, as preparations for the 10th anniversary of Fresh FM 105.9 enter an advanced level, tragedy struck again in the month of “August” when a raging inferno swept through the Music House and Millions of naira worth of equipment including transmitters meant for our Fresh FM Ilorin were lost, The Fresh FM and Blast FM studios were razed down completely. If you don’t walk through the ruins yourself, you may not know the magnitude of the destruction the inferno caused, looking at the Music House building from the outside may not give you the exact extent of damage we suffered
In my ten years of working with Dr. Yinka Ayefele, I have never seen him shed tears publicly, not even when the station’s building was demolished seven years ago. I was told he cried when we lost a staff member (Oluwajobi Oluwafemi) a few years ago but I wasn’t around to witness that. On Friday night when the men of the Fire service and sympathizers were putting in efforts to put out the fire, I saw him cry twice. He was broken, and I am certain the thought “why always me?” must have crossed his mind at that moment.
Yet, in true Ayefele fashion, he refused to surrender. He insisted that the station must return on air immediately, he stayed up till 3 a.m. with our engineers to ensure everything was fixed to ensure Fresh FM and Blast FM hit the airwaves immediately again
From him, we continue to learn invaluable lessons about resilience, faith, and determination. He is a man who has defied all odds to rise as the biggest media entrepreneur in the South West, and one of the biggest in Nigeria with 9 radio stations spread across the country creating employment opportunities and making a strong media presence in their respective states
Congratulations, Dr. Yinka Ayefele (M.O.N), This is another mountain you will climb, and just like every time before, you will come out stronger.
If you need any inspiration to be strong in life no matter the challenges you are facing, take a look at Yinka Ayefele and draw your strength from him, he’s a man who has turned PAIN into GAINS many times
- Radio Friend
17/08/25