The self-acclaimed Paramount King of Fuji, Abass Akande Obesere has sensationally revealed that but for his mother’s relentless support and unceasing prayers; he would have joined the long list of loonies roaming the streets of Lagos.
Speaking in the edition of the Supermom Celebrity reality television show that would be broadcast this weekend, the Ibadan, Oyo State born singer says his love for music and peer influence led him into taking Indian hemp at an early age. “I was very young when I started taking Indian hemp but it wasn’t good for my system because anytime I took it, I would just sleep off for about five to six hours.
Of course, it became very worrisome for my mother who went everywhere and did everything in order for me to stop but she never gave up on me,” he recalls.
Corroborating this revelation, Obesere’s mother, Taibat Omobonike Akande, said at that time, “I and my husband wanted him to be well educated and have a good career but he chose music and started moving with bad boys who taught him how to smoke Indian hemp.
Things were so bad that after taking it, I would be the one to go and pick him up where he would have slept off. At a point, I had to consult Islamic clerics to help me pray for him so he wouldn’t bring shame to the family.” With tears lining her eyes, she also recalled all the Fuji music star put the family through in his bid to become a musician.
“Things got so bad that I had to take him to learn electronics when he was becoming an embarrassment to the family but he left there after some time. There was nothing I could do, other than to just keep praying for him to turn out good. I’m grateful to God today that he is a celebrated Nigerian musician today, a musician that brings joy to many homes and the hearts of many.”
And mother and child embraced as tears streamed down their eyes, revealing that beneath the facade of his hyperactive stage presence, Obesere is indeed soft at heart. Holding back further tears, Obesere says, “If not for my mother, I would have gone insane and for that reason, I cannot forget her or pay her back for helping to put my life back on track when everybody had already given up on me. It was her prayers that have sustained me till now.”
Speaking in the same episode, Benedict Afagwu, otherwise known as DJ Humility, one of Nigeria’s most prominent Disc Jockeys, who hails from Delta State, grew up as a barrack boy, his dad being a police officer. Despite the disciplined air that pervades the barracks, it is known to be a fertile ground for wayward kids.
Recalling the bulky DJ’s childhood days, his mother, Janet Afagwu, says the itinerant nature of the patriarch’s job left the six kids in her care. “He is my first child and I tried to bring my children up in the way of the lord but Ben was especially stubborn. He was a thorn in my flesh. There was nothing he didn’t do because of his independent nature.
Things got worse when his father and I had to fend for the family all alone with no support from any quarter. Ben was so stubborn that he ran away from home to be a conductor. While trying to deal with that, he then became an ‘Alabaru’ (Carrier) in the market. This really did hurt as he was the first child and his younger ones were looking up to him.”But thank God, she says, he has turned out well.
