•10 Years After God’s Direction
Adesina Adedamola Oriola, who is professionally known as ONIBUDO, studied Business Management/Marketing at The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti.
He is a singer, whose love and interest in singing started at a tender age, while in secondary school. After graduating from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, he decided to make it a chosen career. The versatility and dynamism he adopted in his chosen career have given him opportunities to sing and perform at conferences in churches and at events organized by corporate organizations and government parastatals. He has sung along with notable musicians and instrumentalists.
Now, Onibudo is set to organise a first-of-its-kind praise concert, aimed at bringing together worshippers, talented musicians, instrumentalists and many more into one fold and one big family. Recently, in an interview with City People’s Reporter, Damilola Akande, Onibudo revealed his inspiration for his latest concert and how his music career blossoms. Excerpts.
How did you come about the name Onibudo?
My real name is Adedamola Adeshina popularly called Onibudo. Onibudo was actually extracted from the title of my first album, Onibudo Iyanu.
Can you take us through your early years in school?
I was born and brought up in Mushin, Lagos State. For my primary school, I attended Nusar-u-deen at Mushin close to the popular Olosan Police Station. After my primary education, my parents moved to Ogba, where I attended Ogba Grammar School, for my secondary education. After my NECO examination, I proceeded to Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, where I had my Higher National Diploma (HD) in Business Administration. Ever since then, I have been into music.
How did music start for you?
I started in a choir, I was born into a Muslim family, but one thing led to another and my mother and siblings had to convert to Christianity.
We started attending First Baptist Church, now Vibrant Baptist Church, and I still attend that church. During the course of attending services and joining the choir, I met with a family called Adeniyi. This family boasts a number of musicians. My love for music made me to move to their house. It was through that family that, I started my music career. Most members of that family had something they do musically, either as, instruments or others, so I followed them to shows, and ministrations and I saw how they were doing it. From curiosity, I started learning and picking up one thing or the other, I grasped what they were doing and God has been faithful.
What circumstances made you convert to Christianity?
I was born into a polygamous family, my father had many wives. In such an environment, every mother would be looking for where to pray for her children against all that comes with a polygamous family. That was how we started going to church for prayers. Then, we only attended the vigil, but after years of attendance at the church, my mother was finally convinced to convert to Christianity and since then, God has been faithful. So, I will say, polygamy led my mother to church.
What brought you to the limelight?
I cannot really pick out a major event, but I can remember that when I started working on my first album, I was still active in the choir. So, there was a programme we always did every year in our Baptist Association entitled: Chosen Generation then. Now, Anointed Yearly. It entailed activities where different choirs from different Baptist Churches did come to hold a music fiesta.
Whenever it was time for my church choir to sing, I normally led the choir, so, members from different Baptist Churches began to notice me. They made enquiries and found out that I was Onibudo, who had an album. That was how they individually started inviting me for ministrations in their churches. From there, it went on like that. I would say Baptist Church brought me to the limelight. I would also say that Pastor Wole Oladiyun of CLAM also helped me. Many years ago, I went to CLAM to Minister and Pastor Wole Oladiyun saw me and invited me to his office. He told me he loved the style of my music and asked me to follow him to all of his crusades. I gladly accepted. Since then, I have been accompanying him to crusades where crowds sing praises on stage. Sometimes, he used to call me on stage as a special guest to minister and from there people, started noticing me and the name ‘Onibudo’ became popular.
After some years, I went into the music business and I will like to clear this. I have a company called Esteemed Band and I have a ministry called Onibudo Music Ministry. Esteemed Band is for parties. So, if you invite me to church, I don’t get paid but Esteemed Band, which is for parties, gets paid. Through Onibudo and Esteemed Band, I am known in different places.
How has the music industry been for you so far?
We have been there for years now and God has been faithful. We have been in the music industry for 25 years now and God has been faithful and I bless God. I have learnt so many things as music is ever-changing. “Bi aye ba se nyi be na la se ma ba yi” so we move with life matching its steps.
If you did not do music, what would Onibudo be doing?
Since I studied Business Administration, I would be into business or I would become a Naval Officer. I have always loved the Naval Uniform since my childhood, so going into the Navy would have been the next thing. Right now, apart, from music, I have a cleaning service firm.
Why music?
Like I said earlier, I started in a choir. I started as a teen and I later found a group called Shalon Band by picking people to come together to form a band. With invitations, we go to churches to minister, after which we produced our first album, entitled: ‘Onibudo Iyanu’. Three years later, we visited the studio and we released another album entitled: “Emi Orun” and then “Oga Titun”, “Diversities of Praise” followed by various series of singles like “Oluwa Ti Se”, “Onibudo Iyanu” and a mix of others. We have been to many churches for ministration and God has been faithful.
Let’s talk about your event coming up “Praise Feast With Damola Onibudo” what inspired it?
It is the first of its kind. It came with a vision from God where God asked me to go back to where I started, among my people, to give quality praise to God. I have been trying to give excuses for about 10 years now, owing to some circumstances that surrounded it. Then, I thought I should obey the voice of God and do the needful. The vision first came expressly from God and it was confirmed by many Prophets.
I heard it again this year and two different people called me to tell me the same thing. MC Pluto also called me and told me the same thing. So, comparing the messages I received and from what He told me, I knew it was time.
What should your fans expect from the event?
By God’s grace, we will have a very interesting outing. The event will be coming up on the 14th of August, 2022. It is a Sunday programme and it will hold at Orgon Event Centre at Ogba. We will be coming up with celebrity artistes such as Minister Mike Abdul, Sam, Gbera, Biyi Samuel, Segun Ayomi, Chigozie Wisdom, Voice Olorun and many others. I am sure that many souls will be blessed that day. As for tickets, we are not led to sell tickets for now so, it is free.
There will be gifts for people to take home. Just come with a heart of thanksgiving.
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