Foremost musician and septuagenarian, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey has stated that the Glo Everegreen Series started by business magnate Michael Adenuga Jnr, and Glo Networks was an event he appreciated. He said he cherished the fact that the billionaire chose him to be the star of the first edition.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, the musician also thanked God for his life and talked about the importance of the grace of God in the life of every man.
Excerpts:
It is often said that anything after 70 years is bonus. How do you feel at 72?
Well, at 72, I want to first and foremost give thanks to God Almighty who made it possible for me to be alive. It’s the wondrous work of God and at 72, I feel great. I am a very happy person because the Lord has been so good to me, and I thank God for who he is because he’s been my all in all and he has seen me through different phases of life: from the time I was born, to when I started talking, schooling and working. I also thank him for bringing out the gift in me and establishing me as a star. I feel great and happy – and I can’t even thank him enough.
Can you attribute that to a disciplined lifestyle?
Before we talk about discipline, let’s talk about the grace of God and his sufficiency. The grace of God is available to everyone; so it is by his grace. Yes, with discipline added to it. But majorly, it’s by his grace. I grew up in a disciplinarian family. When my mother looked at me, I knew what she was saying without her saying anything. We were taught to respect elders. If someone was older by a day, we were taught to call him or her brother or sister. We were taught humility. And it’s been part of me since then. We were taught how to behave well. We were well-disciplined. We respected our seniors and teachers in school and it became part of my life. When I also grew up, I had a personal encounter with Jesus and that brought out the best in me in my music career. So it’s by the grace of God. To be 72 and still be relevant, that cannot be anybody but God.
How do you feel being celebrated by Globacom while you are still alive?
Oh, I feel great. I feel excited for Glo, and for the man called Mike Adenuga, Jnr. He is a special person that God brought into this world for many reasons. I cherish what Glo did in celebrating me; it is one thing I really appreciate. For someone to sit down and think of others is a special thing. That the Glo Evergreen Series started with me, I really appreciate it.
Before he started Glo, was Mike Adenuga one of your fans?
Of course, yes. He loves my music, but the love that Mike Adenuga has for me is beyond music. Yes, talking music, he loves my music but now I can see it is beyond that. He is God-sent and we can see, he’s a man who touches life, and because of that, he is blessed every second.