Legendary Nigerian juju musician, Ebenezer Obey, popularly known as, “Chief Commander”, says as he clocks 80, his greatest dream is to impact more lives, especially the Nigerian youths.
In an interview in Lagos on Saturday, Obey said he would love to touch on the lives of the Nigerian youths, considering current happenings in the society.
The Chief Commander noted that he would continue to intensify efforts in empowering more of the youths.
He said he would remain grateful to God, haven ordered his steps in the right direction in the last 80 years of his life, as he rededicates his life to Him for greater exploits.
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Obey said: “I thank God for making me to clock 80 years. It is by God’s grace. He has really seen me through. I commit my future to him.
“What I have done in life that gives me joy is that I have handed over my life to God right from time, I rededicate the remaining part of my life, my future to God, He should see me through.
“For my career, I have no more rivers to cross, my dream and wish now is to impact more lives, to solidify all I have built in the past and contribute more to the growth of the entertainment industry.
“I want to impact the youths, the youths are the leaders of tomorrow and if we see what is happening to them recently, we will observe that they need help.
“So I want to continue touching on their lives through my musical empowerment programme which has been on for long.”
Obey noted that so many youths had benefitted from his empowerment programme through scholarships and subsidised fee for musical training at his music school located in Abeokuta, Ogun.
He said the music school was affiliated with some Nigerian universities and federal polytechnics.
He explained that it is a well equiped school with modern studios, as a 350-seater Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre was currently under construction to impact more youths.
Ebenezer Obey was born on April 3, 1942 to an Egba-Yoruba ethnic background family and he is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba.
He began his musical career in the mid 1950s after moving to Lagos and after tutelage under Fatai Rolling-Dollar’s band, he formed a band called, “The International Brothers”, in 1964, playing highlife-juju fusion.
The band later metamorphosed into “Inter-Reformers” in the early 1970s, with a long list of Juju album hits on the West African Decca Musical Label.
Some of his songs are, “Around the World”, “Asiko Mi Ti To”, “Awa Ewe Iwoyi”, “Ema Se Lo”, Edumare Adupe”, “Ile Ti Ya” and more. (NAN)