Gospel singer and broadcaster Yinka Ayefele has reflected on the accident that changed his life 27 years ago, sharing emotional moments with his children as he marked the anniversary on Friday.
Ayefele posted old footage from December 12, 1997, the day he was involved in the car crash that damaged his spinal cord and left him unable to walk. He paired the archive clip with a recent video showing one of his triplets asking why he could not stand or walk like other fathers.
In one of the posts, he wrote in all caps:
“I CAN NEVER FORGET THAT DAY, IT WAS ON DECEMBER 12TH 1997. MY TURNING POINT.”
Another caption revealed the emotional moment he shared with his children.
“MY TRIPLET KEPT ASKING ME THIS SAME QUESTION UP TILL THIS MORNING… THEY CAME TO MY ROOM VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING AND STARTED PRAYING THAT THEY WANT THEIR DADDY TO STAND UP AND WALK… I WAS SO EMOTIONAL AND I STARTED… BUT AM STILL TRUSTING GOD ON HIS PROMISES. JUST KEEP ON THANKING GOD WITH ME.”
Ayefele’s accident happened on his way to Abeokuta in Ogun State. The crash left him with a spinal cord injury, and he spent several months in hospital before beginning a long recovery journey.
At the time, he was working as a broadcaster and jingle producer at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ibadan. After the life-changing accident, Ayefele turned fully to music, releasing his debut album “Bitter Experience” in 1998, a project inspired by his struggles and recovery. The album became a breakthrough success and set him on the path to becoming one of Nigeria’s most celebrated gospel artists.
Beyond music, Ayefele expanded into media entrepreneurship. He founded Fresh FM, a fast-growing radio network. The first station in Ibadan finally received its licence in 2015 after years of regulatory challenges.
Ayefele is married to Temitope Ayefele, and they have three children, triplets born in 2019. Despite the physical challenges he has faced for nearly three decades, the singer remains active in broadcasting, ministry, and music, consistently sharing his message of faith, gratitude, and resilience.