By Bimbo Esho
Growing up in Lagos and coincidentally sharing the same birthplace with Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey MFR means a lot to me. It is amazing that I was born in the same popular “Massey hospital” in Lagos precisely 37 years after the birth of a world-renowned legend, a juju music icon of high repute a name blessed by God; a name that has become a global reference; a name that has become a mascot and an icon of legendary proportion.
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey MFR has become a WORLD PHENOMENON and today he stands strong like an Oak tree with so much resilience, strength, morale, honor, nobility, and wisdom.
The Commander as he is fondly called has attained the peak of his musical career in Lagos State with determining toil and creativity and has immensely contributed to the Social-cultural, Economic, Political and Cultural growth of Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey is no doubt a teacher, a prophet, a moralist, a philanthropist, one of Nigeria’s oldest living and active Juju Musicians in the world whose music cut across different ethnic groups. The biggest accomplishment THE COMMANDER has left behind is to have churned out the largest musical repertoire of 660 songs in the history of Nigeria a feat that may be difficult to achieve by anyone in years to come.
Chief Commanders songs reflect different happening in our society ie What God Has Joined Together is a subtle song that advises newlywed on expectations of a good marital bliss, Omo TunTun – Eulogies newborn child, Kete kete is a song that effortlessly displays human inconsistency, Don’t Compromise is a religious song that talks about the story of Lot in the Bible, Ore Mi se Pele preaches simplicity, Garri Ti Won is a song that reflects the grave consequences of Austerity in the late ’60s, etc.
This astute businessman, father, and role model has left a great legacy behind for different generations to tap from.
May we continue to celebrate our Icons when they are still alive.