At the right front of the first floor of Building 11 Kadiri Street, Suru Lere, Lagos, a two story building partitioned as face-me-I-face-you rental rooms, was Baba Femi’s Repair Shop. Baba Femi was an electrician, famous for his tales of rendezvous at Chief Ebenezer Obey’s Weekend “Owambe party”performances and midweek gigs inside his popular hang-out joint, Obey’s Miliki Spot, than his knowledge of repairing troubled televisions, Kenwood stereo systems, KDK mosquito killing fans and other electronic home appliances of that era’s living comfort.
Apart from being an annoying “loudmouth at his Shop, Baba Femi also doubled as a “Disc Jockey’. He had Turn-table equipment and latest selections of vinyls, from mostly juju, Fuji and Apala music genres, for his side kick deejay midweek music musings..
Baba Femi opened his store at 9a.m every day. The street knew when he was opened for business. He would disturb our mornings with nonestop selections of juju music, featuring Chief Ebenezer Obey’s latest music. That was between 1973 and 1974. Chief Obey’s single, “Edumare Soro Mi Dayo” was a monumental hit then. It preceded the wickedly mega hit, BOARD MEMBERS.
So, every mid morning, the neighborhood came alive and gyrated to the polyrhythmic sounds of miliki king blaring from Baba Femi’s Shop.
Commander Ebenezer Obey’s unique juju music featured wailing lead guitar, scattered electric guitar solos that interpreted stanzas of his lyrics, with mind blowing talking drums and sassy percussions, leading a scarcely but baited bass rhythm. You couldn’t resist the music when the tenor voice cuts through the lane:” Alaja lo se obokun fun alajala… emi meje o.. emi meje…” The street kids gathered and fretted, singing along to the call and response infectious juju philosophical progression of Chief Ebenezer Obey’s music. That was how Baba Femi steadily introduced me and a few area kids to the Miliki music by the greatest music composer, maker and singer of my generation.
I became an Ebenezer Obey addict: Incurable. Every miliki music sent me to “miliki rehab..” When the monster hit “KETEKETE’ was released within that decade, though young, I was “permanently miliki disturbed”. I have not recovered since. I refused several rehab offers because Miliki was a cure to a scattered life..
My paths with Commander Obey crossed when I became an Entertainment reporter at Punch newspapers. My Entertainment Editor/mentor, Ladi Ayodeji privileged me all access to Entertainment Reporting: My partner at the entertainment desk, Kafui Gale Zoyiku and I were privilege to everything entertainment news, thanks to Mr. Ayodeji’s trust in our judgments. We were also workaholics and “Reporterholics”. Ladi, as we fondly called him, allowed us to roam with celebrities and their ways of life. In one of my early assignments of covering the music beat, Ladi sent me to cover Chief Obey’s University concert at the University of Benin, Ugbowo campus.
That afternoon, I was assigned the front seat with the juju music icon in his Mercedes Benz vehicle, driven by Muhammed, his driver..A few years ago, I visited Commanders home at Ikeja and met Muhammed who still recognized me… That day to Benin Concert, we drove four hours from Lagos to Benin. During the drive, Commander and I struck a conversation and something improbable exploded between us. He referred to me thus: “My dear AzukA” throughout our conversations,the drive to Uniben and back next day. That moment was, as I remembered, how we developed a certain father/son relationship. Since that weekend drive to Benin, Chief Ebenezer Obey chose to call me “My Dear AzukA”. He recognizes my voice from any distance and crowd: he would break out his infectious smile to humble my presence.
In life, we may never know what or whom life privileged us: I don’t know why, but whenever I visited Commander Obey at his Ikeja residence, I was always welcome like a member of his family: he took me to several places and I have met great Nigerians by being in his company. Commander introduced me to the late MKO Abiola and I became fond of visiting. .
I encouraged him, those years, to be proactive with the media. I described him then as ”a gently aggressive”but humane. That night in his home, he listened, calmly and fatherly, nodded his head as I spoke with so much young energy and rascality. But he listened, patiently and attentively….He is a blessing to all situations.
September 1987, I returned from Music Against apartheid concert in the old Soithern Africa region, with serious illness. The tour took the Nigerian musicians that included Late Sonny Okosun, Late Christy Igbokwe and Onyeka Onwenu, took us to Zambia, Lusaka, Kitwe, Kabwe, and in Zimbabwe, Harare.
I had moved into the Punch Mulero compound with my colleagues Rotimi Durojaiye and Dozie Okebalama. On the same street as my flat was Commander Obey’s younger sister’s home. He suspected I liked his niece, Funke, but baba was always soft, tender and lovely. So one weekend, he paid a surprised visit to my house…I was very sick. He came and offered prayers for my swollen right arm and wellness…After prayers , Baba Maliki invited me to his church, located along the road to the estate: unbelievable to see such a cultural icon in my small living room with no electricity, offering songs of praise for my healing. It was spiritual and Magical.
I didn’t know why Commander had special likeness for me, a spectacular relationship that still exists to this day; I was young, restless, rascally and I never cared about life. I just wanted to exist as a free-spirit reporter. I was pure, natural and a hopeless Entertainment Editor, but Commander never gave up on me. He trusted me, respected and explored my young critiques of his works. He was never angry at my writings to criticize or gossip about his lifestyle. He never complained…
Eight years ago, I returned to Nigeria with a remarkable idea to promote Commander Obey alongside King Sunny Ade in a concert billed as ONE NIGHT STAND. I will tell the story another day. Through the years, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey continues to reform: from International Band to inter-reformers. He went deeper with his faith and religion, an unapologetic believer of Christ. He built a home of worship in the densely populated area of Mulero/Agege, on the outskirts of lagos, city dwellers axis for everyday people of the city, expanded his religious outreach programs and proclaiming Christ as King in all his musings, music, messages, characters and behaviors. This great national treasure is pleasantly Nigerian. His music is regional. But his humanity is universal. I am privileged to have been blessed by his presence in my life as a young lost teenager, hooked on his music, first heard from the blaring speakers of Baba Femi the electrician and as a careless free spirit young bohemian reporter. He allows me to still refer to him as COMMANDER EBENEZER OBEY, years after he became known to us as REVEREND EBENEZER OBEY. I am humbled by his candor and unconditional love for me: a kind man, a tribe less statesman: when life provided me a chance as a new bachelor, he purchased and delivered to my new Flat, my first VONO mattress to my scanty flat. I was 23 years old. I dared not confess the sins on the mattress.
My dearest friends and family, please salute this incredible music maker, a legend of Nigeria’s music culture on his 78th birthday.
*** Unedited Excerpts From my autobiography: MY SCATTERED LIFE.By Azuka Jeboze
THE ELITES
