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Ayinde Barrister: Prophet without honour (2) By Tunde Odesola

Published

4 years ago

January 4, 2021

Ayinde Barrister: Prophet without honour (2) By Tunde Odesola- Barrister wasn’t a stark illiterate. He wasn’t an academic either. But he created Fuji, a music brand that has swallowed various pre-existing Yoruba music such as Sakara, Apala, Awurebe, and paralysed erstwhile top-of-the-chart music, Juju.

Ayinde Barrister

However, there are many ‘ifs and buts’ that could have changed the success story of Fuji since Barrister evolved the genre in the late 1960s from ‘Were’, an Islamic music used to wake Muslims up during Ramadan.

One if: Would Fuji have survived IF Ayinla Omowura aka Egunmogaji, a fiery Apala musician, who was much popular than Barrister at the time, hadn’t been stabbed to death on May 6, 1980 at a beer parlour in Abeokuta, Ogun State?

Another if: Would Fuji have survived IF another Apala chart-bursting legend, Alhaji Haruna Ishola aka Baba nGani Agba, hadn’t died on November 9, 1983, at the age of 64?

One but: BUT, today, Fuji is eclipsing Juju, which was much more popular than Apala and Sakara in the 1960s, 70s and part of the 80s.

Another but: BUT, apart from General Kollington Ayinla, who is today seen as the father of Fuji music after the demise of Barrister, Fuji is blessed with a succeeding generation of young, creative stars led by King Wasiu Ayinde aka K1 the Ultimate, and other Fuji greats such as Adewale Ayuba aka Mr Johnson, Abass Akande Obesere aka Omo Rapala, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma aka Oga Nla, and Saheed Osupa aka Olufimo Mat’agbamole, whose collective music is highly accepted by the masses – an advantage which both Juju and Apala lacked.

Apart from Sir Shina Peters, who temporarily shook the Juju music scene to its foundation between 1989 and 1992 with his Afro Juju series, no other younger-generation Juju musician has had as much popularity or shown enough conviction to reignite the torch of Juju lit on the global stage by Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade.

Barrister is no saint. I shall soon come to his devilry. But in the meantime, I’ll examine the uniqueness of his music and the reason his albums and live plays remain the most selling within the Fuji genre, 10 years after his death.

After I was blooded into Barrister’s music at The PUNCH editorial meeting in 2017, two interconnected incidents happened that reopened my eyes to the in-betweenness of music to religion and culture.

The first incident was a postgraduate assignment that defogged my sight and shed the scales off my eyes. The other was a visit to renowned Ifa priest, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, the Araba of Osogbo, in furtherance of the aforesaid academic assignment.

Because of its pursuit for excellence and proximity to my workplace, I had applied to the School of Postgraduate Studies, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, for a degree in English Literature.

A Professor of Gender Studies and African Oral Literature, Mobolanle Sotunsa, taught my part-time class African Oral Literature.

As part of the academic requirements for the class, students were mandated to conduct research on chants as an enactment of African orature experience.

The assignment took me to the shrine of Elebuibon in the Pepsi Cola area Ayetoro, Osogbo. At Elebuibon’s shrine, which I visited on consecutive days, I videoed the call-and-response spontaneity of chants as an oral technique in the expression of African religious beliefs.

Employing incantations (chants) to seek divine requests – on behalf of his various clients – Elebuibon communed with the gods, using the opele, a short string of divination made of cowries.

Singing unrehearsed and unrestrained Ifa divination verses, Elebuibon maintained an instinctive call-and-response communication with his acolytes who responded appropriately to his sudden change in songs, riddles, declarations etc.

The beauty of Elebuibon’s rich poetic rendition of Ifa panegyrics wasn’t lost on me despite not being an Ifa worshipper. Buried in the Ifa praise worship are ancient Yoruba histories of conquests, victories, harvests, deaths, famine, pestilence, treachery etc.

Although I’m a Christian, on one of my visits to Elebuibon’s shrine, I took my children along with a view to letting them have an insight into the trado-cultural heritage of the Yoruba.

At Elebuibon’s, my children seemed like fish out of water because they couldn’t understand the chants and songs, but I tried to explain their meanings to them in the hope that they would understand that the world is a continuous evolution of forms between the old and the new because before New York was created, there was an Old York; before Iyana Ipaja New Road, there was Iyana Ipaja Old Road, before New Bodija birthed, there was Old Bodija.

Although Barrister never got university education, much more than most foremost Yoruba musician of his era, Agbajelola exhibited a profound understanding of the invaluable place of history, culture and tradition as tools for personal actualisation and nation-building. This realisation is the heartbeat of his musical supremacy.

While a number of musicians in his era were becoming ‘born-again’ and abandoning Yoruba trado-cultural beliefs for western religions and teachings, Barusati maintained an intricate balance between Islamic and Yoruba religions in his music – at the risk of being tagged a hypocrite and an infidel by ardent Islamic faithful. This is the audacity of his art.

In his discography, Barrister explored the heroics of major deities of the Yoruba pantheon with a fluidity common to African oral chants.

Barrister’s amazing exposition of Yoruba tradition and culture flourishes in his December 1988 album, Fuji Garbage 2, wherein he traces the death of Oya, the River goddess, to Ira in Kwara State, the death of Sango, god of Thunder, to Oyo, and the death of Obalufon to Erin just as his nickname, Ayinde-Ogun, as encapsulated in Fuji Missile, released in 2001, is in reverence of Ogun, the god of Iron.

With this trajectory, Barrister scored four goals: he carried the large population of traditionalists along, retained his large Muslim following, courted listeners of good music and maintained a didactic edge to his preaching, using Yoruba histories, similes, metaphors, proverbs, pun, sarcasm, wit etc to explain confusable narratives.

Dwelling on expert use of evocation, Barusati never held rehearsals with his band members when going to the studio – according to the testimonies of his band members that included his band captain and lead drummer, Aderoju Yekinni aka Aderoju Onilu, and his close associates like Alhaji Adisa Onifade, Chief Buhari Oloto, Alhaji Murhi Gbadeyanka, Alhaji Adisa Osiefa, Asiwaju Tunde Khamis Badmus, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, Chief Oyasola Oyadeji, Alhaji Adebayo Azeez (Azz Motors) and Alhaji Ayinde Abeeb.

Because of the limitless elasticity of his voice and the depth of his message, Dedegbo would not so much worry about setting his poetry to music as he would worry about passing his message across unambiguously.

This is why he didn’t engage in rehearsals with his band members because he knew that he could do all the singing and chorusing as he occasionally left his band members stranded during studio recordings or live plays.

Aderoju said, “We never ever did any rehearsals while going to record an album. Never. We did live plays during the week, Barrister could pick some beats I played during the week and set music to them.

“He would just say, we’re going to the studio tomorrow or the day after. As the band leader, I would get some beats ready using proverbs or jokes. So, while at the studio, he would tell you to give him a beat. You must be ready.

“I learned how to research from him because whenever he wanted to sleep, he would put a pen, jotter and tape recorder by his pillow so that whenever he receives inspiration while sleeping, he would write it down.

This no-rehearsal latitude that Barrister exhibited cannot, however, be executed by Juju musicians because, unlike Fuji, the guitar and other string instruments form the template upon which Juju rests, and it’s not possible to go into the studio to record Juju music without rehearsals.

(To be concluded next week)

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @tunde odesola

Twitter: @tunde_odesola

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celebrity radar - gossips

Pastor Tobi Adegboyega Explains Lavish Lifestyle Amid Deportation Ruling

Published

8 hours ago

December 7, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Pastor Tobi Adegboyega Explains Lavish Lifestyle Amid Deportation Ruling

Embattled Nigerian pastor and founder of the Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church (SPAC Nation), Tobi Adegboyega, has defended his luxurious lifestyle amidst an ongoing deportation ruling in the United Kingdom.

The UK’s immigration upper tribunal recently ruled that the 44-year-old pastor should be deported, citing his overstayed visitor’s visa, which expired after his arrival in the UK in 2005. Adegboyega had sought to remain in the country on human rights grounds.

Defense of Extravagance

Addressing concerns about his opulent lifestyle during the tribunal, Adegboyega explained that his wife, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 annually working for the insurance firm AON, funds his expenses. He stated that his lifestyle serves as an inspiration to young people, the primary audience of his ministry, encouraging them to pursue legitimate ways of making money.

The controversial pastor told the court:

“I live with my partner, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 per year working for AON. I spend my time working for the church, for which I am unpaid. I am entirely supported by Mary. I have a first-class law degree from Nigeria but have ‘sacrificed’ my legal career to help those who cannot help themselves.”

The tribunal also heard:

“People have pointed to the fact that he wears designer clothing and drives expensive cars. He was adamant that all his possessions were paid for by Mary. He has never taken a penny from the church. He believes it is important to dress the way he does to inspire young people, showing them that legitimate means, such as entrepreneurship, can lead to success.”

Reaction to Deportation Ruling

Responding to the ruling, Adegboyega dismissed the deportation claims and affirmed his resilience despite numerous challenges.

“I’m right here at home, no cause for alarm. Naturally, I dismiss anything that suggests retrogression. Every Nigerian should be proud of me. Living in the UK, a city known for pulling people down, I have survived all sorts of challenges. This matter they’re propagating is the smallest of them.

“I love London, it’s my city, and nobody can do anything. Of all the people of colour you know here—pastors and leaders—I have survived everything. I’m here at home, and nobody should panic for me. I have succeeded despite all odds and remain someone to look up to. Nothing has changed, and nothing will.”

celebrity radar - gossips

Farotimi Must Prove Allegations to Be Free, Say Afe Babalola’s Lawyers

Published

16 hours ago

December 6, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Farotimi Must Prove Allegations to Be Free, Say Afe Babalola’s Lawyers

The legal team representing Afe Babalola, SAN, founder of Afe Babalola University, has stated that human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi must substantiate his allegations against the elder statesman to secure his freedom.

Speaking at a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Friday, Babalola’s lawyers—Owoseni Ajayi, Olakanmi Falade, and Lawrence Fasanmi, all former chairmen of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ado Ekiti Branch—addressed the ongoing controversy. They emphasized that Farotimi’s claims in his book Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System constituted defamation, prompting Babalola to petition the police for a thorough investigation.

The lawyers asserted that Farotimi’s allegations were an attempt to damage Babalola’s reputation, built over decades of hard work. They noted that the subsequent legal action was necessary to allow the law to address the matter appropriately.

Legal Proceedings

Following Babalola’s petition, Ekiti State Police arrested Farotimi in Lagos on Tuesday. He was arraigned on Wednesday at the Ekiti State Magistrates Court in Ado Ekiti, facing charges of defamation. While Farotimi’s lawyer sought bail, Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun ordered his remand and adjourned the case to December 10, 2024.

Call for Accountability

Speaking at the press conference, Owoseni Ajayi, Babalola’s lead lawyer and a former Ekiti State Commissioner for Justice, refuted claims of bias or irregularities. He urged the public to verify facts before forming opinions, stating:

“Aare Afe Babalola, in his petition, requested the police to invite Mr. Dele Farotimi to provide evidence supporting his publication. Failing this, he should be prosecuted for criminal defamation as per Nigerian law. The defamatory materials must also be confiscated pending investigation.”

Ajayi defended Babalola’s right to seek redress, asking, “Is it wrong for Aare Afe Babalola to demand justice for these false allegations? Should justice favor Mr. Farotimi simply because Aare Babalola is a global icon?”

He added, “If Mr. Farotimi can prove the truth of his claims, he will be free. While free speech is a right, it must not harm the reputation of another.”

Jurisdiction and Allegations

Ajayi clarified that the case was well within Ekiti State’s jurisdiction, as the book was distributed there, making defamation a prosecutable offense under local law.

He also pointed out that the accusations in the book violated Section 59 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits the publication of false information intended to incite public fear. This offense carries a potential three-year prison sentence.

“The statements in the book are baseless and malicious, designed to tarnish the reputation of Aare Afe Babalola and his law firm. Such defamatory remarks cannot simply be compensated with damages,” Ajayi stated.

Advice to Farotimi’s Supporters

Ajayi advised Farotimi’s family and supporters to reconsider their stance, suggesting they apologize to Babalola. He warned that those encouraging Farotimi might not have his best interests at heart.

“Aare Babalola is a builder, not a destroyer. He does not seek to ruin Mr. Farotimi but to clear his own name,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ekiti State Police have announced a ban on unauthorized gatherings and protests as tensions surrounding the case escalate.

celebrity radar - gossips

Feud to Main Event Mayhem: The Deji Bakare vs. Akpororo Celebrity Global Mega Fight Story

Published

1 day ago

December 6, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Feud to Main Event Mayhem: The Deji Bakare vs. Akpororo Celebrity Global Mega Fight Story

In the dynamic world of entertainment, few things spark as much excitement and passion as a celebrity feud, especially one that unfolds in the public eye. The rivalry between Deji Bakare, former Mr. Nigeria, and renowned comedian Akpororo, began as a verbal clash on social media, quickly escalating into a high-profile saga that captured the attention of fans worldwide.

It all began when Deji Bakare tweeted a critique of Akpororo’s comedy shows, calling them “boring” and suggesting it was time for the comedian to retire his mic. Akpororo, never one to shy away from a challenge, fired back with a fiery Instagram video, branding Deji as “irrelevant” and claiming nobody knew who he was. Not one to let the matter slide, Deji responded with a video of his own, asserting that Akpororo wasn’t on his level and alluding to a secret that could potentially ruin Akpororo’s career. The back-and-forth intensified, and fans eagerly sided with their chosen celebrity, fueling the feud.

As the digital spat continued to stir the public, Diamond Superstars Promotions saw an opportunity to turn the rivalry into a full-blown spectacle. The promoters stepped in, offering both celebrities the chance to settle their differences in the ring. The stage was set for what would become one of the most anticipated celebrity events of the year: the Deji Bakare vs. Akpororo Celebrity Global Mega Fight.

Originally slated for an earlier date, the event was postponed to ensure a larger, more electrifying venue. Now, on December 28th, the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, will be the site of this epic showdown. The “Celebrity Global Mega Fight” promises to be a night of unparalleled drama, as both Deji Bakare and Akpororo are determined to prove themselves in the ring.

But the fight itself is just part of the experience. The event will be packed with side attractions and special performances, ensuring there’s never a dull moment. Expect live music, dance performances, comedy skits, and surprise celebrity appearances, all designed to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Mark your calendars for December 28th, because the National Stadium Surulere (NIS Hall) will be the place to be. With a thrilling blend of sports, entertainment, and drama, this event is poised to be the talk of the town for weeks to come.

Don’t miss out on the most anticipated celebrity boxing match of the year. Secure your tickets now for the “Celebrity Global Mega Fight” and be part of the action!