Scores escape death as FRCN mast collapses in Ogun

But for providence, Friday’s collapse of the mast of the Paramount 94.5FM station in Abeokuta would have recorded some casualties.

The 540-feet mast suddenly collapsed at about 4:45pm at the premises of the radio station located on a hill in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Since that incident, the radio station, popular amongst listeners in Ogun, Oyo, Lagos and parts of the neighbouring Republic of Benin for its graphic and funny delivery of the review of major newspapers stories in Yoruba language, has gone off air.

But to quickly return the station on air, its management has appealed to public-spirited Nigerians, the Ogun State Government and other philanthropic individuals to help raise about N50 million that would be required to achieve this.

General Manager of the station, Prince Adewale Adeboboye, said an urgent action must be taken to get the radio station back on air in order to save it from further loss of revenue from commercials.

“We thank God that there wasn’t any casualty. So, all we are doing now is to find a way through the FRCN management and board to quickly bail us out of this unfortunate incident. It’s just a pity because Friday and this moment we are talking, we’ve been receiving phone calls from various audience and clients asking why we are not on air because Paramount FM is the people’s station.

“So, we appeal to the management to quickly find a way to restore and get us back on air,” he said.

Adeboboye, however, said the cause of the collapse of the mast, which was completely damaged, had yet to be ascertained.

He expressed regret that only last month, the mast was repainted, adding that the station’s listeners from far and near had continued to inundate the station with phone calls.

Adeboboye said further: “We are yet to know the exact cause of the collapse of the mast because not quite a month ago, we got the mast painted and there wasn’t complaint of anything.”

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