Sikiru Ayinde Barrister: Through the lens of a Journalist
Today would have marked the 70th birthday of Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, who was (gosh! I hate to use past tense for AYINDE) arguably one of Nigeria’s best-known singer-songwriters who played an essential role in the evolution of the music of his homeland. The man who led a 25-piece band at a time you needed not more than six to seven people to form a band.
Fuji Chamber in Isolo would have been agog by now. But God knows best, Olanbiwonninu Ayinde Muhammedu-Sikiru Balogun is no more. Sun’re Omo Agbaje Salami La’Yeye ni’badan.
My love for everything Sikiru Ayinde Barrister has never been in doubt; I love his works and virtually everything about him. Ayinde, as I will refer to him or Barry Agba in this piece was much more than a musician; he was an institution in all ramifications. He was a journalist and social commentator well ahead of his time.
At the tender age of ten, Olabinwonninu had mastered the Yoruba vocal style along with the complexities with which he was performing the ‘Were’ during the holy month of Ramadan. He attended a Muslim School and later Yaba Polytechnic, in 1961 but he couldn’t continue due to financial difficulties. He later trained as a stenographer (typist). His typewriter is still in Fuji Chambers.
Ayinde was the creator of Fuji Music (no contest!), he was an exciting musician with great dancing skills, he was blessed with the powerful delivery skills and voice which he often attest to in his some of his albums “Emi l’Olohun fun Ayinde…”
Just to rest the unnecessary controversy about the founder of Fuji Music, it is important to state clearly that the word “Fuji” describing a genre of music in Yorubaland first emerged in Ayinde’s album titled “Alayinde Nki yin” released around 1974.
The lot confusing that fact were misled by Barry’s concession of seniority to the likes of Ajadi Ganiu, Jolly Lawa, Saka Olaigbade, Baba Raliatu, Kawu Aminu, Ayinde Muniru Mayegun, aka General Captain etc in Yoruba Ajiwere. He went in the album titled Fertilizer 1987 … “Iba fun gbogbo agbagba ninu Ajisari, ninu Oniwere….”
Barry was clear, “Were lo di Fuji” (Were transformed to Fuji).
There was no need for Barry to hide the fact that he drew inspiration from earlier musicians like Abibu Oluwa, Lefty Salami, Olatunji Yusuf, S Aka, Haruna Ishola and few others. Many wondered by he didn’t concede seniority to Ayinla Omowura. That is a story for another day.
For the love of Nigeria, Ayinde joined the Nigeria Army in 1968 in the heat of the Civil war until 1976. His account of the civil is well documented in about four of his albums.
Barry released several pieces of insightful works in his lifetime, a total of 127 LPs. One his greatest work was Aye (This Life), which was released in 1979.
He attempted an explanation of WHO GOD IS, the theory of creation; philosophy of good and bad, fate, different races and the truth. He dwelled on the differences between the white and black races and what could be responsible for success in white people’s endeavours. He wondered if the black race had been doomed, giving several anecdotes such as the fertiliser, which is a product of waste products, translated into wealth (Waste to Wealth). He was a philosopher!
Side two of the album was destination-marketing work for Disney World, where he vividly reported his tourist visit to Orlando, Florida, USA. He subtly tongue-lashed the black race for not developing its own tourist attractions instead of travelling in droves to the foreign lands. Sikiru Ayinde Balogun gave an eyewitness account of the euphoria and anxiety that surrounded his trip with his bosom friend, a fan, adviser and sponsor Alhaji Buhari Oloto (as SAB referred to Omo Oloto Buhari in about 60% of his works) in early 1980s.
He also gave a vivid account of his experience in a submarine from where he beheld sharks and whales and other fearful aquatic creatures navigating the ocean.
At a point he narrated the fear and shock expressed by all “Oyinbo npe my Mother, Alade npe Tawa-judah” because of the gargantuan hills, valleys, debris of shipwrecks he witnessed in the artificial ocean created in Magic World.
The impact of the album was huge as the city -especially Disney World- recorded a high number of visits from Africa, Nigeria in particular. This earned him the ‘Key to the State of Florida” and honorary citizenship of the state by Mayor of Florida. Interestingly, Baba didn’t do it for money or financial gain; he was simply a musician telling stories of his experience. It turned out to a world famous piece of marketing for Disney World and Florida.
He was also a political commentator, releasing several works with focus on politics and current affairs. In the album titled Nigeria (released in 1983 ahead of a tension soaked general election), the master storyteller gave a good account of himself by narrating the political history of Nigeria. Personally, I can say with confidence that I learnt a lot about Nigerian history from his works. For example, I already knew the role played by Gen. Ishola Williams, Oladipo Diya and many actors during the civil war long before I started reading the Civil war accounts of several people including “Why We Struck” by Ademulegun. I heard about Abagana in Anambra State, Otukpo and many cities in the Nigeria from his songs long before I visited, and I found his narration and description very valuable.
In the same album, he cautioned politicians with his songs not to rig the elections and promise what do not have intention of fulfilling. Barry encouraged sportsmanship in politics among the flag-bearers and advised them to accept the eventual results of the polls.
The most touching part of that album for me was the appeal to Nigerian leaders not to allow Nigeria to go the way of Ghana- where the unstable political climate had forced the citizens out of the country, turning hundreds of thousands into cobblers, puff puff sellers across the continent. Nigeria was constrained to expel Ghanaians from the country, leading to the phrase ‘Ghana-Must-Go”. Ironically isn’t Nigeria where Ghana was today?
Barrister again preached African unity in several more records. In the album titled PRECAUTION, Ayinde made inferences to the Liberia when it was ravaged by war. He drew lessons from the fall of Samuel Doe. “Mo ti ba won de Liberia ri k’ogun a to de, Bi Ilu America o, n’ilu won jo. Igba t’ogun wolu, Ilu won d’ahoro, Omo ilu Liberia, won fee ku tan o…”
He gave gory examples of effect of war in Bosnia, Rwanda and Somalia. He ended the Editorial by refreshing his audience’s memory of Nigeria’s Biafra war, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives of Nigerian across ethnic lines.
Barry was a medium of quality information, editorials, commentaries and entertainment. To buttress this point, an academic, Professor Olakunle Lawal in 2013 carried out a study on the music of Sikiru Ayinde Barrister (SAB) as a study of an African musician as a journalist, the study was tagged “Sikiru Ayinde’s Music as Commentary on the Society”.
According to the professor, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister (SAB) used his music as: “a source of entertainment. Propagation of his religion (Islam), Issues of social justice, economic determinism, and democracy, Source of information, Source of education and Epitome of moral education.”
An attentive listening to the epic album tagged “Family Planning” where he advised his listeners on the issue of child spacing at a time when there was no government policy on the matter lends credence to Professor Lawal’s conclusion. Alhaji Agba also preached tolerance and sang against domestic violence especially against women. He was a feminist of sort.
Some of the Family Planning lyrics below:
…O lagbara meji o lo b’ogun
Iwo funra re o tepa mo’se
Nigba to to meji tan o duro o
Awon to ku ni’le dede onko?
O ti bi won funya je o ti dake o
O ni tan o ba le to ra won, o tan
Boo ba to won o se s’Oba mimo
Ko kewu ko tu kawe ko ko’se
Won n palaaru o dake o
Iru won lo n dadakuda lola o
To bay a ko l’o boruko baba e je
Iwo loo jiya e to ba d’orun
Iwo nikan managing director
Chief executive lenu’se…
O lowo re o le fi to’mo o
O kole jo sile lasan bansa
O si bimo sile bi eda
O bi merinla o lo to meta
O ni wa f’gun sile to joju…
Ni’jo to bat n pin dukia re
Bo ti le po to ko le kari won
Ikunsinu a wa ni’be o ti daju
Baba mi to wo ko le t’emi
Won a re’le onisegun won a re’le onifa
Tan ba pa’ra won latori mejo o
Tan ba ku meji pere
Ki lanfaani ogun ohun lasan
Iwo loo jebi ai le to won o
Iwo loo jiya e to d’run o
You are capable of only two children
You gave birth to twenty
And you’re not hardworking enough
Being able to cater for two
What about the rest?
You leave them to suffer
Telling them to fend for themselves
Your neglecting them is a sin
No schooling, no skill acquisition
They become irrelevant in future
Then you will say they are blackmailing you
You will pay for it when you die.
You are the MD, chief executive
Despite your wealth, your children untrained
You built several houses and many children
Out of fourteen, only three trained
And you boast to bequeath your wealth
When you are gone and your riches distributed
There will be a shortfall
To go round the children
So, they grumble among themselves
And consult seer and cultists
They kill themselves severally
Until they there are only two left
Then what is the essence of all the property?
You are the rot
You will be punished after death
It is interesting to know that at any time AYINDE chose to sing about an issue of public interest, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister never wasted his time by just singing about it, took his time to provide the temporal dimension as well as the background information that would help any good listener to trace the history of the issue he sang about.
He used his Fuji music to shape his audience’s opinions about life, death, music, government, business and employment, to mention but few.
Let me end this with short profile of some people around AYINDE, people who supported him greatly. Chief Olusupo Remilekun Ebenezer Obey. I would need another write up to discuss the emotional connection and relationship that existed between Sikiru and Ebenezer. Ayinde did not mince words when it comes to sing-praising Obey Commander.
Buhari (pronounced as Buari) Oloto enjoyed about 60% mention in all SAB’s work. The friendship was made in heaven. Other are Chief Bolarinwa Abioro, Balogun Ipokia -the man who Barry himself acknowledged to have given him a shoulder. “Abioro lo gbemi jade, titi n o ma s’edupe”. Ayinde is known to always appreciate his benefactors just as we notice in the case of Ebenezer. For Chief Abioro, the relationship was more than business, it was also a family thing. In one interview, Barry expressed his appreciation to Abioro to the point that he will NEVER fight Chief Abioro’s children who refused to release Alhaji Agba’s master tapes. He said that stance is in appreciation of their Father’s contribution to his life.
Adisa Osiefa (Akebaje), the man who boasted to have sewn his first Agbada at the age of 21. That’s goes to show that Agbada was reserved for the elders in Yorubaland. A Yoruba Angel per excellence. Other men includes Alhaji Mojeed Mayabikan, Mustafa Jide-Jide Okunnu (Dehinde la’Adviser m), Shitu Sanni Shita, Raimi Tejumola Onirin and many more.
Barry had women supporter as well. Interestingly the first person Ayinde praised in his record is one Madam Mulikatu Abeje Adeyemi; in the same record released in 1974 he mentioned two of his children: Kubura and Rasaki. Others women are Ajoke Aderayo (Barry’s first wife), Alhaja Bolajoko Kadiri, his mother, Alhaja Odee Sifawu who was a great influence on him. Interestingly, Barry first sang about the mother in 1975.
In conclusion, Ayinde is dead but his work lives on! He sang a lot about death and he died just like everyone will. On his album Iku (Death), he sang with emotion and infected his listeners’ discernment as though the listener were in communion with the underworld. The song awakens the ephemeral nature of existence and the fact that everything that has a beginning will definitely have an end. The song goes…
Bi’ku se lagbara to o
Ko so’loogun to le ri ti’ku se (2x)
Bo’la iku se lagbara to to
Olohun Oba kii bese e wo (2x)
Bi’ku se lagbara to
Ogidi oro ni
Bi’ku se lagbara to o
Ko so’loogun to le ri’ku se e
Toba se pe’ku pe’ni Olohun lojokan
T’Olohun ba binu
To ba ri’binu e o
T’Olohun ba fun ni kueri
Pe ki lo de to fi pa o
Iku iba ti se’ru e mo o
Eni esu ni’ku iba ma pa
Iku iba s’agbeje mo’wo
Amo ola’ku po pupoju
Agbara latowo Olohun Oba ni
Iku ti o pa Mumini
Ni o pa Onigbagbo
Kaafiri iku lo maa paa
Bi’ku ba n gba riba lowo olowo
Ibati pe’ni ri moni logba
Mekunnu ni’ku iba ma pa
Amo iku o ran Olowo nse
Iku tio pa talaka ni o p’Olowo
E je a sinmi agbaja
Bi’ku ba n wa’le to ma gbe lorun pelu aye o
Iku iba ti pa lanlodu
Mehaya ni’ku iba ma
Amo iku o ma ni’le gbe…
Translation:
What a mystery is death!
No seer demystifies death
So enigmatic is death
That the Creator questions it not(2x)
What a mystery is death (2x)
That no seer demystifies death
Had death killed the God’s beloved
And so encountered God’s wrath
Where God served it a query
That ‘why did you killed my beloved?’
Death would have spared the beloved
But pounced only on……
Death would have remained cautioned
But death has been empowered By God Almighty
As it lays its cold hands on Muslims
So does it on Christians
And even the unbelievers
If death could be bribed
It could have spared the rich
And pounced only on the poor
But it has no pity for the rich
As it pounces on the poor, so does it on the rich
Let us be warned
Had death sought shelter
It could have spared landlords
And pounced on only tenants
But death is not in need of shelter…
Sun re Ayinde; Ayinde lo n ki Ayinde.
Credit to my friend Idris Katib of Crescent University, Abeokuta who worked with Kola Adesina, Ph.D Adeyemi Obalanlege, Ph.D to carry out a study on Sikiru Ayinde Barrister for allowing me to use part of their work in this story.
