Its been a week since Fuji star, Pasuma lost his mum, Alhaja Adija Kuburat Ashabi Odetola (Iyawo Anobi). She died last week Thursday.
Shortly after she passed on, City People got Pasuma to tell us all the things he will miss about Iyawo Anobi and what she told him to always do and not do.
“I will miss my mum”, he explained. “I love her so much. We were very close. We were like 5 and 6 together. Anytime I am singing, in a few minutes when I start singing you will hear me mention her name. Her name will come out of my mouth”.
What has been the consistent advice that she has always given him? “The consistent advice she always gives me is know the son of who you are.”
“Try as much as possible to be responsible. Respect everybody, both your fans, workers and friends. Respect everyone. Let your A be A and let your B be B. Where you are going to, let them know. If you don’t want to do some thing, let them know. If you want to do it, let them know straight up. Don’t deceive them. Don’t go left and right. Let them know where you stand.”
“And the advice has worked. I took her advice. She is a very good mum ooo. I don’t joke with her at all. I can’t compare her to anything”.
When Pasuma started music in 1984, what role did his mum play? “She played her own role. She supported me. I have said this, time without number, my dad is an educated person.”
“He was the General Manager at a company in Apapa. Somebody like that will not really want his children to be a children as at that time because they believe anybody that sings or is a musician, does not come from a good home. My daddy didn’t give me permission. I think that was what caused their problem, before they got separated. My mum said okay you don’t want him to be a musician? That is what he says he wants to do. And my dad said no. It is not that I don’t want. Let him go to school first .”
“After going to secondary school, I want him to be a Doctor, let him go to a higher institution.”
“On the long run, they got separated when I was 19 years old. So my mum singlehandedly brought me up. The song she always sings into my head is please don’t let your dads family members say I was the one who made you be a bad boy. Please make me a great hero in front of them. I always hear that from her. From there, I tried as much as possible to finish my primary school, then went on to secondary school.”
“I was 10 years old. I was in Primary 4 then in Muslim Mission Primary School, in Sokunbi, Mushin, in Lagos.”
“After that, I went to Nigerian Model High School, Idi-Oro. I finished my secondary school in 1984. It was in 1984 that I started music.”
“I said I don’t want to further my education any more. I want to face this music, straight. Every thing after that is history to me”.
Did he ever do an album to celebrate his mum? (Laughs) “I always sing about my mum everyday. Everybody knows this. Even if I say No they will say Iro lo n pa. I celebrate her all the time. Some will say we can’t hear your song in 1,2,3 minutes without hearing you sing about your mum.”
“Some always say some musicians don’t always sing about their mum, like Barrister, K1 and Pasuma does. I celebrated my mum. I always take good care of her till her last breathe.”
When he looks back, what are the other things Pasuma will remember about her. “I will remember a lot of things about her. Her advice. She took great care of us. She was caring. She was a caring mother. She loved her children, all of us. She always call me and say you are the head of the house, bring everybody together, even if I am no more.”
“Don’t let anybody separate you with your siblings. It is a good advice from her. And I keep telling my siblings that. I usually tell them mummy wants all of us to be united. All that I will miss”.
In her lifetime, Pasuma & his mum were very close. Many called her his pillar of support because they were into each other.
“I will miss a lot about her”, he said. “She was everything to me. I will miss a lot, a lot. I used to go to her house almost on a daily basis to check on her, to play with her, using my hands to rub her body and to tell her Mama don’t worry everything will be ok, do this and do that. And atimes, when I travel she will be calling me, when are you coming back, are you ok there, are you good please take it easy. Don’t fight with anybody, don’t do this, don’t do that. There are a lot of things I will miss about her”.
Is it true both of you were very close? “Oh yes, we were very, very close. We are 5 in number but I thank God I am the 1st boy, the head of the house. We were very close. People always say I like to promote my mum everytime. If I sing any song, in one, to 3 minutes you will hear my mum’s name from my mouth. So, I lover her so much. We are very close. We are like 5 and 6”. I am going to miss her so much. What advice does she normally give him? “Know the son of whom you are. Try as much as possible to respect everybody and what your fans, workers, your friends want. She always want her children to be wanted. She used to tell me that she doesn’t want any separation from me and my siblings. All that I will miss”.
When he broke down and he wept, how did that happen? “There are sometimes you will think deeply, by the time you think deep about something that you and her, had in common or discussed about and you realise that you won’t see her again. My mum was a woman that always listens. She likes to listen a lot. That is why some people always say, look, if you want to take anything from Pasuma, whatever it is go and meet Mummy, go to Alhaja, if you see Alhaja now, tell Alhaja. She will help you take the thing from him. All that, I will miss. I think deeply, like what someone was saying outside a few minutes ago, I wept. I wept the day we took her to the hospital and the doctor pronounced her death. I wept, the day we were putting her in the grave because I suddenly realised I am not going to see her no more. And after they put her in the grave, we came here with the Alfa and everybody. The Alfa was trying to calm me down, giving me advice on how to cope, after a while these advice came into my head, I started weeping again. Everybody this kind of things has happened to before will tell you that its not easy.”
When is the 8th day prayer? “This coming Friday 14th of April, at the LTV Blue Roof, starting from 3pm, after Jumat. I want people to be there till about 6pm to 6.30pm and break their fast”. What is his message to his fans, friends and family members. “They should please take care of me now ooo. They know I don’t have mother again ooo. They should please ooo. Help me beg them. They should take care of me. Don’t fight me ooo. If I ever offend you there is no body to go and tell again, just call me and tell me I have offended you and I will beg you. Nobody to go and tell again, like they always say, we will go and tell your mummy. There is no mummy again ooo.”
