Not many people know that Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Evangelist Ebenezer Obey are close. When Papa Obey turned 80 last year Osoba revealed the depth of their friendship. Below is Osoba tribute.
It is heartwarming for me to welcome Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi to the privileged club of octogenarians. Having known him for calmost six decades, I join him in thanking Almighty God for the blessings of old age-a gift made more poignant when we look back at many friends and associates who have since returned to their maker. We do not mock them but mention them in gratefulness to God for his mercies.
Obey and I started to make a mark in our respective professions at about the same time. 1964 was the turning-point for both of us. It was the year that I joined the Daily Times. It was also the year that Obey started his International Brothers Band.
In the race to unearth issues in the public interest, I doggedly hunted for news scoops. The more stories I brought to public reckoning, the more I climbed the editorial ladder. At the same time, Obey was steadily dishing out melodious and philosophical tunes that endeared him to his fans and brought him public acclaim. The more hits he recorded, the more the public welcomed and accorded him the recognition deserving of an emerging star.
In the course of our professional growth, our paths crossed. I paid more than a casual attention to his rise, providing editorial support where my professional judgment dictated that it was needed. On his part, he on his volition sang my praise shortly after the Alake of Egbaland conferred on me the Akinrogun chieftaincy title. It was such a hit that when I contested for the governorship of Ogun State, the song featured at our rallies.
To the glory of God, Obey’s music has endured for almost 6 decades. He remains a moral force whose compositions have always drawn heavily from the wisdom of scripture and traditional Yoruba ethos of good breeding. The genius in him accounts for how he has managed to adapt moral fables and common sayings into masterpieces that connect with people’s expectations, hopes, fears, regrets, and triumphs.
When Obey sings that “Aimasiko lo ndamu eda, oro mi lowo Oluwa lo wa (we fret about the future because of inadequate trust in God), he speaks to our penchant for shortcuts to knotty issues, our preference for escape routes to the need for rigour and the plea for the corresponding grace of God. His postulation in the story of The Donkey, Man, and his Son reminds one of the fate of people of weak moral fiber who benchmark their actions on people pleasing but end up pleasing no one as their actions lack moral convictions.
While lesser musicians harp more on praise singing, Obey does more. He leaves his fans with nuggets of wisdom that go beyond the dance floor as ready material for hearty conversations. His is not just music to titillate the senses but for the inner recesses of the mind to reflect, confront, and act upon.
As a way of deepening his roots and connecting his music to the future, I recommend to him more cooperation and collaboration with younger musicians to bring to contemporary attention some of his hits and serve them in a way to resonate with the younger folk without sacrificing the depth of meaning.
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