Encomium
Alhaji Rasak Kolawole Ilori’s move to raise money for his friend and rival, Alhaji Sikiru Ololade Ayinde has failed woefully. We gathered that the former, better known as Kollington Ayinla in the fuji music circle, weeks back, reached out to members of the Fuji Musician Association of Nigeria (FUMAN), impressing it on them the need to financially support the creator of that genre of music, Ayinde Barrister, who had been battling ill health for months now.
However, rather than hearken to his plea, nearly all of them turned their back on him.
The purpose of the call, an insider told us, was for a special meeting in his Alagbado (Lagos) residence where the issue of Barrister’s failing health was discussed in full. Not only that, his friend, Kebe n’Kwara, as Kollington is fondly called, also called for fund raising with a view to assisting the ailing fuji lord.
But the purpose, we were told, was defeated as some of the fuji stars expected to be the drivers were conspicuously absent.
Leading the fuji crooners like Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, a.k.a K1 de Ultimate, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Saidi Osupa, Adewale Ayuba and others avoided the meeting.
“I learnt the fund raising for Ayinde Barrister, organized by General Kollington Ayinla recently in his residence, was a flop. People like Wasiu Ayinde, Pasuma, Osupa, Ayuba, Shina Akanni and so on did not show up. Some of them, I learnt, did not even send any message to that effect. Kollington was not happy about the disgraceful turnout at the meeting especially with the absence of those regarded as the rave of moment in the genre. I learnt Saka Orobo later read out the punishment to be meted out on the erring fuji stars,” the source squealed. Orobo, by the way, is FUMAN president.
When we contacted General Kollington Ayinla on Friday, September 17, 2010, he denied organizing any fund raising for Ayinde Barrister, adding that the meeting he organized was purposely to enable him resolve the lingering crisis in FUMAN especially between Pasuma and Osupa.
“It is not true, it is just a mere speculation. I didn’t call any meeting to raise fund for Sikiru. After all, he is not a hungry man. The meeting I organized in my residence was for us to settle the feud between Pasuma and Osupa, and to find a lasting solution to the lingering crisis in the fuji music circle.”
- This story was first published in ENCOMIUM Weekly on Tuesday, September 21, 2010
