Eighty garlands for the Chief Commander

IT is dancing time once again for the Chief Commander, master of music. Ebenezer Olasupo Aremu Fabiyi, one of Nigeria’s greatest and most iconic musicians, the man Nigerians from all walks of life refer to simply as Obey, by any standards one of Nigeria’s greatest national treasures, is 80. And his story, arresting in its illustration of the gains of talent nurtured with grit, is simply marvellous. And that is why from President Muhammadu Buhari to the (wo)man in the street, he is being celebrated with wild applause, for he is such a jolly, incredibly jolly, good fellow. Having made Nigerians happy for decades, being a musician’s musician, one of the very few who, according to Alhaji Agba, the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, “played for more than 50 years,” a voice of artistic continuity, Obey deserves all the accolades that have come his way at 80.

From his six-year tutelage under the legendary Olayiwola Olagunju, a.k.a Fatai Rolling Dollars, in the struggle to have a feel of the sunlight; and from the days when he trekked from Mushin to the Lagos Island under the sweltering hot sun in order to seal a deal with a record company, Obey’s story has been a metaphor of the triumph of human will, the power of resilience. After playing the role of band leader in his earlier years in Idogo, his place of birth in Nigeria’s Gateway State, in 1964, Obey floated the International Brothers’ Band, the outfit responsible for the production of his many groundbreaking hits. At inception, the band comprised Oke Aminu, his alto backup singer; Samson Ogunlade, the bongos player, Vasco, the samba player, and Gabriel  Adedeji, together with a host of others who, aside from being band members, were his close allies and friends. He usually sang their praises just as he did for his numerous clients.

Obey’s eventual religious inclination is hardly surprising considering the context of his birth. His mother, Abigail Oyindamola, had to be forcibly separated from her former husband on account of alleged barrenness. Having suffered public opprobrium for years but retaining undiluted faith in divinity, she eventually remarried and gave birth to a girl and a boy, Ebenezer. She trained her children to have faith in God, and Ebenezer betrayed an early love for music, joining a church choir quite early. He showed that he was destined for life in the entertainment industry.

The Chief Commander is indeed a prime example of what a musician should be. For decades, he illuminated the juju music scene and brought happiness to Nigerians. Obey took his music round the world and reinforced Nigeria’s place on the global music map. Out of the many functions of literature and the arts, Obey apparently chose to major in didacticism (the teaching of morals). While many of his contemporaries tended to dwell on the mundane, light issues of life which fizzled out easily eventually, Obey dwelt on the more philosophical and enduring topics. The result is that many years after, his hit songs still enjoy airplays on public radios, at private functions, and in many homes. The philosophical and moral nuggets woven around his music has been so far unparalleled. Whether you are looking at his “esin pelu ketekete” track, “aimasiko ..”, “ile aye fun igba die ni o”,  among many others, Obey has been a great mirror of traditional ethics.

Obey’s music is arresting in its intellectual content and socially relevant in its purport. It is in stark contrast to the rant often dubbed music these days. In retirement, he has been an evangelist, but he is like the proverbial calabash carver whose works can never be destroyed regardless of how long ago he had retired from his craft. Coming from Nigeria’s Gateway State, a state that has produced so many music greats (Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Ayinla Omowura, Haruna Ishola, to name just a few), Obey no doubt drank from the fountain of music in his environment, but it is a tribute to his genius that he has carved a niche for himself; he stands inimitable in the craft he has chosen.

Congratulations, Chief Commander, not only on attaining the age of 80, but also for daring the odds so sweetly.