How many times have you been rumoured dead?
About six times, I am not bothered by
such rumour because I'm used to it and that shows that I will live long.
At 82, you are very energetic, what is
the secret?
Its God's making because He is
compensating me for all the years I suffered. I have really suffered. I lost
some children, including my younger wife who bore me three kids.
Is there any spiritual angle to it?
No, I'm a Muslim and God is my
strength, the only medicine I know is malaria medicine or herbs for jedi jedi
(pile).
So, you don't believe in supernatural
powers?
There are, but all that has happened to
me is natural, God has a way of doing things.
Was there any time you felt like
telling God that enough was enough, that you have suffered enough?
One incident that baffled me was the
death of my younger wife because she was neither sick nor showed any sign of
ill health, before she died at about 1a.m that day. I did not believe that
Risikat Olagunju nee Ogunbona was dead until the day she was to be buried. That
was a trying moment for me.
How many wives do you have now?
I have kids from five women.
How many children do you have now?
After losing two, I'm left with 13.
Any plan to have more?
No.
You said so before and you had a set of
twins later?
It's the work of God, so He can't be
questioned, but right now I'm okay with what I have.
At your age, you are still active
sexually, how do you do it?
Go and ask my victims, they will tell
you how active I am in bed.
Do you use any enhancement drugs?
I use only herbs. I use lots of herbs.
Do you have any ailment at your age?
No. My only problem is backache. That's
all.
Looking back at your music career, what
have you gained and what have you lost?
I have gained more despite the fact
that I came to limelight at an old age. The first time I entered an aeroplane
was when I was 76 that was when I travelled to Morocco, later Spain and back
before embarking on a tour of Europe. I have since been to London, Paris,
Holland, Germany, Belgium and New York.
You are happy that you travelled at
such an old age?
It's God's work because if I had
achieved something like this at a young age may be I would have been dead by
now. I'm now free from witches and wizards so they cannot harm me anymore.
You trained someone like Commander
Ebenezer Obey, and you are like a father to King Sunny Ade, what is the
relationship between you and them now?
They are my boys because I'm the root
and without the root there will be no leaf or leaves. We have a cordial
relationship.
It seems that juju music is on the
decline. What is your impression about that?
The thing is, the younger ones are
lazy, if not, how will hip-hop take over? Most of the younger ones can't play
any musical instrument. I'm even better than some of them.
How many musical instruments can you
play?
I can play the guitar, accordion,
conga, and bongo.
Who taught you how to play all these
instruments?
It was what I gained from being a
street boy, because I always left home and followed musicians on street parade
and when I returned home my mum would beat the hell out of me. My father never
caned me till he died but my mum was a disciplinarian, because she insisted I
must go to school.
Which trade did you learn?
I learned sign writing and I worked
with Nigerian Railway Corporation for 25 years as a Mechanical Engineer under
Mr. J.A Allen. I'm also a tailor. But I no longer have those skills, except
music.
Are you from a music family?
No, I'm from a royal family of Olagunju
in Ede, Osun State.
Will you encourage any of your children
to go into music?
I won't force any of them to play music
because nobody taught me how to play music. I learned from the streets. I have
one who is playing like Tunde Nightingale, but he is still in school. If any of
my children is interested in singing, good for him or her.
Did you make money before hitting the
limelight?
No. I did not make money in the past
and when my instruments got burnt during the Unknown Soldier saga, I decided to
go and work as a security guard at Teslim Balogun Stadium, which was known as
UAC Stadium at that time. I worked there for some time before returning to
music.
Your musical instruments got burnt when
'unknown soldiers' razed down Fela's house, why didn't you ask for
compensation?
I learned unknown soldiers touched the
house, since there was nothing I could do about it I decided to look for a way
out. I later secured a job at the then UAC now Teslim Balogun Stadium as a
security man.
What was the experience like?
It was not easy because I was working
in the midst of mysterious beings, I mean witches.
Did they harm you?
No, but whenever I did not go to work,
my colleagues did complain that they always vomited blood.
Did that happen to you?
No, God was and is still with me.
Do you normally commune with the
witches?
No, because I have their antidotes.
What is it?
Cigarettes, I was a chain smoker.
At this age, you still chain smoke, are
you not scared of the health implication of smoking?
I never had any problem.
Even cough?
Yes, I started smoking at a very tender
age, with cigarettes called Lucky Style, Pall Mall and Camel.
What of marijuana?
That was my food when I was young. That
was what I used as my own make-up. Now I am old, I can't do those things any
more.
But you are still into women; old age
has not taken away that from you?
That is God's gift because as you lay
your bed so you shall lie on it. My sexual power is natural, like I said
earlier, it is God's gift supported by herbs.
When are you releasing another album?
Very soon but I want to sell it
outright. I am not interested in collecting royalty from any marketer.
So, you don't trust marketers?
Yes, I don't trust them. I have been
dealt with several times. Unlike the olden days when we would force the
marketer to buy vehicles and equipment for us, marketers of today are too
greedy to do that. All the same I thank God that today I can eat three times a
day, take care of my wife, kids and dependants.
If you have to come back to this world,
do you want to come back as a musician?
Yes, but I don't want to come back to
Nigeria again because Nigerians are not appreciative. As the oldest musician in
Nigeria, don't I deserve a national honour?
So, you have not benefited from any
government in Nigeria either state or federal?
The only person that has helped me is
the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If not for his
kind gesture, I would have been living under the bridge because the house I was
living in Mushin then has been sold, and there was nowhere to go. Thank God and
Tinubu.
Is that the only house you have now?
No, I am erecting another one in Maya
area of Ikorodu. When it is completed, it will include school of music, and
studio in a four-bedroom bungalow.
What is the cost of the project?
It is about N25 million and it is under
construction and I pray to complete it in my lifetime.
No comments:
Post a Comment