Nigerian Reknown Fuji musician Sikiru Ayinde barrister has passed unto eternal Glory. May his soul rest in peace.
Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Balogun popularly known as Alhaji Agba or Barrister in some quarters is one of the living legends in the music industry. Without doubt, he laid the foundation for the propagation of fuji music in Nigeria.
He clocked 62 years old on February 9th, 2010. Barrister created a unique traditional music style known as Fuji music in 1958. He has performed for 50 years as a musician and through his efforts in music; he earned himself a national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Alhaji Agba, as he is fondly called, started singing in Mushin at the age of 10 in 1958. In 1964, he joined the band of Jibowu Rabiu. He was with the band for two years after which they parted ways. He went on to a record label known as Niger Songs at Abule-Oja near University of Lagos where he released his first album in 1966. The album was entitled ‘Eje ka gbo ti Olohun’. It was released about the same time with King Sunny Ade’s ‘Alaanu l’Oluwa’.
Alhaji is believed to be the originator of Fuji music and he defined it as the combination of highlife music, afro, juju music, sakara music and others. He came up with it when he saw a poster at an airport advertising the Mount Fuji, which is the highest peak in Japan. He started playing ‘Were’ in 1958. It was in 1966 when juju, apala, sakara and highlife music was the other of the day that he decided he would fuse all the styles of music to create a new genre distinct from Were music which was then perceived solely as an Islamic rendition. He later rebuked people from calling him the creator of Fuji music on the grounds that it was created by God. “I sang to the amazement of people as I sang like Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade and Ayinla Omowura. All I was concerned with was how to make the music popular and put food on my table”, he said.
Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister did a tremendous job of popularizing his craft by taking it all over the world; he started touring the European continent, especially Britain, since the early 1970s. Also, he first brought his trade to the North America, particularly the United States of America in 1984. All these tours happened before any subsequent Fuji musician ever left the shores of Africa. Between 1970 and throughout the 1980s, other fuji musicians of note included Fatai Adio, Saura Alhaji, Student Fuji, Rahimi Ayinde (Bokote), Ramoni Akanni, Love Azeez, Waidi Akangbe, Sikiru Olawoyin, Agbada Owo (who prematurely experimented with the guitar), Iyanda Sawaba, Ejire Shadua, Wahabi Ilori, Wasiu Ayinde Barrister (who later became Wasiu Ayinde Marshall) and also the Ibadan quatro of Suleiman Adigun, Sakaniyau Ejire, Rasheed Ayinde, and Wasiu Ayinla emerged, all introducing their versions of Fuji music.
Alhaji Agba was born on February 9th, 1948 to a polygamous family at house No. 15 Oke Street, Itafaaji Lagos Island. He schooled at Mushin. He lost his father at the tender age of 10. While growing up, he had nobody to monitor or tell him to do the right things. He was just determined on his own that he had to become a successful person in life. Then the journey was very rough and tough. For instance, he was once employed as a commuter bus conductor popularly called Danfo which plied Ajegunle to Idi-Oro Mushin.
”All I wanted then was to keep body and soul together and clothe myself. Also I once worked as a goods carrier sleeping all night at Awolowo market in Mushin to keep the good name of the family of 6 wives and many kids my father had. I tried to educate myself from proceeds I got from the odd jobs. I attended Muslim Mission School from there I proceeded to Mainland Model School also at Mushin where I did my First School Leaving Certificate Examination also known as G2 in 1960”.
He started his secondary school education in 1961 and had to stop in the third year because of financial constraint as he had no support from anyone. Alhaji had earlier hinted in one of the interviews he granted that he was born three times on the same day- February 9th. “When 1 was exactly 5 years old I told my mother I was going back. She begged and persuaded me but I died on 9th February. My mother got pregnant again and gave birth to me on 9th February and I died again on February 9th at the age of 3. Disturbed by this, my mother made spiritual findings about me and they told her I will come back as a boy but she should never stop me from doing anything that I wanted to do, and that I will grow up to learn and do things my way. They also told her I will become a celebrity and she should not tell anyone or even me until when I was grown up. She was also instructed that my birthdays should not be celebrated that whenever I want to celebrate it, I should be stopped by finding a means of distracting my attention. That is the reason why I have never celebrated my birthday. ”, he once revealed.
He celebrated his birthday for the first time when he was 60. He revealed that he always fell ill exactly a week to his birthdays every year. Every 9th of February, he’ll find himself in the hospital and would be alright after his birthday. When he turned 40, he only recorded an album and did a musical video.
Alhaji Agba allegedly slumped for the second time on stage on January 1st, 2009 at Ijebu Ode at the birthday ceremony of Abide Afobaje at Ayetoro in Ogun State. He was quickly rushed to his hotel room and revived ten minutes later. With his current state of health concerned fans and lovers of Barrister feel he should take a leave from active stage performances even though music still runs in his blood. In 2007, it was rumoured that he was down with cancer but he later debunked the claim on national television. He even went as far as cursing those behind the rumour that they would all be down with cancer.
At this point in his career, his fans feel it is time for the veteran musician to retire honourably from stage performances. Assuming we have a well structured industry, his royalties should have been enough to sustain him for the rest of his life.
ADIEU BABA