AYUBA’S UNTOLD STORY

Day M.K.O invited me into his bedroom

In today’s musical community, Nigeria’s Bonsue Fuji maestro, Dr. Adewale Ayuba requires very little introduction given how much he has accomplished on the platform of his musical dexterity and lyrical prowess. With over 15 honourary chieftaincy titles, well over 50 domestic and international awards and plaques, the Ikene Remo born act is undoubtedly a force to reckon with within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

However, like every great edifice, Ayuba also had a foundational episode characterized by financial difficulties, sleepless nights, rehearsals upon rehearsals, the challenges of breaking through the already established crowd within the genre (Fuji) he operates, marketing brick-walls and other complexities associated with building a career out of nothing else but the only thing he had a passion for; music.

As expected, Ayuba never looked up to the skies expecting God to glide through the clouds towards him with a visible helping hand. Rather, buoyed by his belief in his abilities and the promises that the industry held, Ayuba kept his head up; waiting for the opportunity to fulfill what he considered his musical destiny. If he was expecting a helping hand, then what he got could perhaps be described as a ‘massive helping hand’ as made apparent in his encounter with late politician and business mogul, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola fondly dubbed M.K.O.

In this interview, Ayuba narrated details of his life changing encounter with M.K.O through his wife, late Simbiat Abiola whom he used to fondly refer to as ‘Ayinba.’

In addition to this, the dark-skinned singer also revealed how his late mum and her lawyer made him append his signature on a document; pledging never to indulge in polygamy, alcohol and smoking.

Eighteen years ago; precisely 1991, Ayuba was privileged to have late M.K.O’s wife as a patron of his band and as fate would have it, she was the first person he decided to seek help from when his band boys were rejected visas by the British Embassy. “I got to know M.K.O through his first wife, late Simbiat Abiola of blessed memory whom I used to fondly call Ayinba. She was our patron. I remember that in 1991, I had a problem of getting visas for my band boys. I went to her and informed her that my band boys had been refused visas into the U.K for a musical concert. I remember her words very clearly when she asked me: ‘Se o ti so fun baba e (which translates into ‘have you informed your father?’ in Yoruba language)? At first, I thought she was referring to my own father and when I realized she was referring to her husband, I was stunned at why she would expect me to walk up to such a man.”

Prior to that moment, Ayuba had never had a one on one encounter with M.K.O and the prospect of meeting a man of he had always had so much reverence for was literarily staggering. “Right there and then, she picked up her phone and called M.K.O saying: ‘Daddy, e ma bo o. Omo yin fe ri yin o (which in Yoruba means ‘Daddy, you better come down. Your child wants to speak to you). Replying, M.K.O told her that he was busy and told her to ask me to come to his room. I could not believe it. I was scared at the prospect of going into M.K.O’s room. When I got there, I opened the door and went in and upon seeing me, the first thing he said was: ‘Omo mi. Ki lo de (which, in Yoruba, translates into ‘My child, what’s the matter?’)?’"

After explaining to him, he asked me if I had provided working documents, I told him I had but didn’t know why I was still being refused. Immediately, he called the British Embassy and scheduled an appointment for the following day. I couldn’t believe he could find time for such a thing out of his tight schedule. He asked me to come the following day by 7:00am. I arrived at his gate at 6:30am and I was surprised to find him already dressed and waiting for me. We drove to the embassy when they were still at Marina. He went in and after a few minutes, he came out and said ‘Don’t worry, they are not giving you this time around but they will give you next year’ and true to his word, I was granted the visas the following year without any hassle and that was it and that was how I fell in love with the man.”

Ayuba’s adoration of his late mum; even while she was alive is perhaps no longer news but what might be unknown to many was the kind of woman she really was. “Whenever I think about composing songs, my mother’s name just pops into my head. I’m the last child and it is just in me. The vacuum that she left remains unfilled and I miss her very much. Besides God, the only other reason I have come this far today is because of what my mother instilled in me. She ensured a got a sound education. It was as if she could see the future already and was preparing me for it. She was always directing and guiding me. I remember that when I was on the verge of going into music, she sat me down, hired a lawyer and made me sign a contract denouncing polygamy, smoking and alcohol. She made me write and sign this written pledge and made me understand that if I did any of those things, I had ruined the name and honour of the family.”

With over 15 chieftaincy titles, one begins to wonder how he came about them and if he has a favourite. When asked, Ayuba gladly provided the answers. “I have a lot of chieftaincy titles. The last time I counted, I had more than 15; Saraki Adinni, Osupa Adinni, Amuludun of Remo Land, Oba Osiri of Akesan, Iperu Remo, Amuludun of Ikorodu Oriwu and many others. I cherish all of them because they are all honourary chieftaincy titles. They were given to me by royal fathers who felt I had contributed my own quota to the community. It is also a way of reminding me not to relent in the things I have been doing for the community. A Chieftaincy title is not something one should become egocentric over. It’s simply an acknowledgement of something you have done well. It’s not something you sing about on a record label and that’s why I appreciate all of them but the ones that I really appreciate are the ones that remind me of my Islamic calling like the Saraki Adinni of Ikene Remo and the Osupa Adinni of Itire.”

Still on awards and titles, Ayuba also revealed how he won the ‘Record Breaker’ award in far away Chicago. “I got a ‘Record Breaker’ award in Chicago. I was given the award for taking Fuji out of its local horizon into the universities and that award was tied to the birth of ‘Bubble.’ We release one album every year; that is, once a year, an album is released. I do this because of what I put into my album. After releasing the audio, which takes me about two months, we also take time in shooting the videos.”

It is common knowledge that in the past, a large percentage of the older generation considered music a career for irresponsible men and women and would even go as far as dissuading their daughters from associating with them. However, today, all that has changed and Ayuba speaks of this musical evolution and the role of education in it. “Let me tell you one truth. When you close your eyes, you don’t see anybody and that is exactly what education is to everybody. I dislike artistes who drop their education for their musical careers. Being a musician is a talent given by God and you must be able to manage it well. However, the truth is that if you don’t have education, you cannot manage anything well. If you know you have a talent for singing, dancing or whatever your talent is, make sure you combine it with good education so that make the best of it.”

Affirming that the only reason he has been able to stand out from the crowd is through God’s support. He however lamented the preference of some of his counterparts for part-time education rather then being in school full-time. “Your background is the key to whatever you do in life. Education also helps you harness this. I keep telling people that if you are a part-time student in the university, I don’t consider that education. The best thing is to be a full time student and be in school Monday through Friday. There’s more to education than just receiving lectures or just reading. Staying on campus has a massive impact on the psyche of the students therein. There’s a very wide gulf between a full-time student and a part-time student. As a part time student, you can never compare yourself to someone who goes to school from Monday through Friday. Part time education is better when you are a graduate who plans to further his/her studies.”

When he began singing commercially, the biggest problem he had was the local image that many attached to his genre of music. Within a very short time, Ayuba realized that if he was to carve a niche for himself, he would have to make a very distinct change and this gave birth to what he calls the ‘Bonsue musical evolution.’ “What is worth doing is worth doing well. After ‘Bubble’ (the album that shot him into the limelight), a lot changed for me musically. Bubble was not my first album. I have five albums before Bubble and that was when I was still doing pure Fuji music with 100% Yoruba lyrics spiced with Arabic language because Fuji cannot be separated from its Islamic elements. I however, realized that university students did not like that brand of music and wouldn’t play it. They believed it was meant for local people. It really bothered me that enlightened people were not appreciating my work. At that time, Fuji music was restricted to Yoruba-speaking states and so after doing my home-work, I came up with ‘Bubble;’ where I mixed the lyrics by crossing 50% of English with 50% of Yoruba and that was what gave birth to Bubble. That’s why the song began with: “Listen attentively, I’m going to Bonsue Fuji chambers…my desire to move higher higher…” This gave me more reach. In order to carve a niche for myself, I called my grand of Fuji ‘Bonsue Fuji.’ I also decided to teach my fans unique dancing steps, which I practiced in front of a very big mirror that I specifically bought for that purpose.”

Speaking on the origin of his Bonsue brand of music, Ayuba traced it to his mum’s earlier frustration at his love for music. “Bonsue is a name given to me by my mum before I even started singing professionally. She always used it to abuse me when she used to send me on errands and noticed that I would sing all the way to the place she sent me to and back and that was how the name stuck. The love I have for my mum was also a factor.

Still on the Fuji brand of music, Ayuba admits that one element that has taken root in the popular genre is the endless tussle for supremacy among artistes. Without batting an eyelid, he labeled marketers as being at the root of it. “As far as I see it, the marketers are at the bottom of all this. Would you believe me if I told you that if you are a Fuji musician and you go to a marketer with your work, the next thing he asks you is: “Who do you want to abuse?” They have made that a prerequisite that you must meet before they agree to sell your album. You must abuse somebody. They believe that the fastest way to sell your album is to hurl abuses at a popular artiste. This is quite different from the orientation I got. I was taught to appreciate good lyrics.

Besides that, the truth is that no one wants to be called a slave so they all claim to be kings. When you see your colleague calling himself king, then you wouldn’t want to be the slave so there’s nothing wrong if you also crown yourself. After all, God did not create any crown for Fuji neither did any royal father in Nigeria so artistes are free to crown themselves as they wish. They are all self-labeled kings and I know that marketers are behind all these. As far as I’m concerned, that is not what we want.”

For Ayuba, education began at Ikene Remo at Ansarudeen Primary School from where he later moved on to Remo Secondary School and Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic) where he studied Architecture. “After my Ordinary National Diploma (OND), I went into music. After I became I star, I resumed my educational pursuit at Queensbrough Community College in New York between 1995 and 1998 and that was where I had my degree. When returned to Nigeria, I enrolled in the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and had my Diploma in law and later had my Advanced Diploma in Law from the same institution.

Like every other celebrity, Ayuba has also has his fair share of embarrassing moments and he narrates on where he was kissed by a female fans right in the presence of her mother. “A woman once planted her mouth on mine in public glare. I was shocked. I was in London and the lady in question was a Nigerian. I don’t know where she jumped out from. She just grabbed me and kissed me. I had no idea she had been watching me. What surprised me the most was when she told me that her mum was right there and witnessed everything that happened. We ended up taking pictures and all that. To her, it was an accomplishment and it was written all over her. That is just one and I have had several others.

Besides embarrassing moments, dealing with female fans could sometimes pose a problem especially those who want to go the extra mile of getting intimate. The truth, according to Ayuba is that it takes two to tango. “Look, the truth is that it takes two to tango. When a woman comes to you and tells you: ‘Oh! You are good looking’ and you reply with something like: ‘Oh! You are very beautiful yourself. You’ve got a nice ass…,’ then you guys have clicked and will most likely get rolling but when a lady walks up to you and say: ‘Oh! You are good-looking’ and you reply with: ‘Oh! Thank you so much. I appreciate it,’ then the relationship remains on the surface level and that’s just how it goes.”

Two things Ayuba hold very close to his heart are his family and his career and strictly in that order. He however adds that despite his love for both, he never lets them intercross.

“I always try to separate my family from my musical career because they are two different ball games. As my mum used to say, ‘If you do not have a home, you cannot build anything outside’ and that is the truth especially as regards your chosen career. That’s why I’m so proud and happy and will always give glory to God for giving me the children and wife that I have.”

For the ‘Bubble Master,’ his musical rise to stardom was strongly complemented by his dancing prowess, which won him lots of fans across the globe. Has age caught up with this yet? “Age changes a lot of things but there are some things that you have to keep doing because that is your logo. I experiment and come up with my own unique dance steps.”

When asked if any of his kids has shown any vibrant interest in music, Ayuba’s face lights up with the excitement of a proud father as he spoke about his kids. “Oh yeah! My first son sings. He’s interest in music cuts across various genres. For my daughter, Mutiat, I call her ‘Kokoro’ because she dances a lot and well too. It’s not as if they do it commercially. They just do it for the fun of it. My first son is a medical student in the United States of America. He loves music and was the one who gave me the inspiration for one of my songs, ‘Ebi n pa mi, olose n kiri.’ He also composes songs. Rukky just graduated from Bowen University where she studied Business Administration. She dances a lot. Music apparently runs in our blood.”

The only regret Ayuba has is woven around the country and the kid glove with which he feels the government is handling the Nigerian entertainment industry. “The only regret I have is that the country should be better. The government is not doing enough. King Sunny Ade should have a jet of his own now. Look at our counterparts abroad. We are all witnesses to how well they are faring so those in charge need to have a rethink and set things right once and for all for the long term benefit of everyone.”

With all he has accomplished, is Ayuba still looking forward to laying his hands on any other prize? “Winning a Grammy is one thing I have always looked forward to accomplishing. I’ve gotten the African Grammy, which is the KORA Award but I still want a Grammy.”

By Samod Biobaku

simplysamad@yahoo.com