My drug case in US was caused by a fan – Prince Adekunle

Josiah Adeyinka Adekunle aka Prince Adekunle, 70, a juju musician of old, shares his experiences with ADEOLA BALOGUN, especially about his travails and innocence in the United States, where he was arrested and jailed for drug-related offences

We learnt you waxed a record in commemoration of your 70th birthday; is it a gospel album?

No, it is both gospel and secular. I did it for the fans and everything we produced on the day we launched it was bought. We’re still producing new ones to be able to satisfy those who keep on looking for it to buy.

Not much is heard about your music nowadays or do you have other things to do?

It’s still music all the way; I don’t have any other job. We’re busy with engagements here and there. I’m busy with music, but I do printing business, which is just an aside to augment my earnings from music. I established the printing press when I was still very active in music. Nowadays, music is good but it’s not like in the olden days when musicians were not many in town. Today, musicians are everywhere and this has affected the earnings from music. One of my sons who studied printing is taking care of the printing press, while I take part when I’m less busy.

How often are you engaged?

Of course, we’re busy and we’re available anytime. I’ve my band and the standard is still intact. Of course, some of my old band boys are no more with me, but we’re doing well.

When did you start music fully?

I started in 1967. When I left school, I trained as a baker and I worked with Dunlop. I used to listen to the likes of IK Dairo, Baba Eto (Adeolu Adesanya) and I developed interest and my talent. I was a member of the church choir where I played many instruments. From there, I organised my band and started playing gradually.

Which means that your parents did not bother you when you took to music?

There is no parent who would not worry seeing their child picking up music out of all professions available during our time. As I told you, I was a baker and my parents wondered why I wanted to choose begging (they called musicians alagbe then). They asked me to point out how many houses built by alagbes; they said I must be a very lazy fellow to take to music after training as a baker. When the pressure was too much for me, I moved down to Lagos for a fresh breath. And I thank God that I was able to make a success of it and those who rejected me before came back to embrace me. My story with my parents was like that of the rejected stone that later became the cornerstone. Apart from my parents who said they were sorry for opposing my move and became very proud of me, my family members too were very happy to associate with me.

Which music band did you join to hone your skills?

I must say this: I was always playing drums for churches, especially for Prophet Kogberegbe. Again, whenever people like IK Dairo or Baba Eto came to play in my community, I would go there and watch. Anytime they released records, I would go around looking for those with gramophone to listen to their music. That was how I developed my interest. I would call two or three people together and sing what we heard these musicians sing and from there, we too began to play around. I never joined any band nor had any boss who taught me music, no. When I started my band, I would play every kind of music until I developed my own unique style. Whenever the likes of Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade played, I would go there and come back to play what I heard them sing. Obey is a very nice person and I was very close to him then. When he wanted to go to London in 1968, I went to him that I would like him to give me the instruments he would no longer need, more so when I was sure he would buy a new set when he was coming back. He gave me one engine that we used to play at Mayflower Hotel, Olorunsogo, Mushin (Lagos) and promised more on his return. Meanwhile, he encountered some problems that almost aborted his proposed trip and before he came back, I decided to wax my first record where I sang about the problems and his eventual triumph in the trip. I did the record on the label of Ibukun Orisun Iye Record in 1968. Ibukun released the record on the very day Obey returned from London and it sold like a hot cake. Because I was singing like Obey then, the fans rushed the record, thinking it was his latest effort before finding out that it was by Prince Adekunle. That was the breakthrough I had in my musical career. The music fans then thought I was Obey’s brother and when he too heard the music, he was very happy and he gave me more instruments. I became famous in the industry and was getting bigger every day until I had an unfortunate accident in 1971, which nearly cost me my life. In fact, it was reported in the media that I did not survive the accident. Because of the severity of the accident, I was rushed to London for treatment. That again was a blessing in disguise as my fans in London insisted that I should come over to entertain them. We signed an agreement for the promotion and all arrangements were made. The London tour was very successful and the fame grew more. Before we went to London in 1972, we had been making some records that were very successful, but the particular one was where I sang, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. It sold very well in the market. In 1974, we were invited again to London and it was during the tour that I was given the title ‘General.’ My band boy then, Shina Peters, was given the title, ‘Sir.’ That was how he became to be known as Sir Shina Peters.

Where were you coming from when the accident occurred?

I had just finished night engagement at one hotel and a group of fans came to visit me in my house. It started raining as soon as they came and it did not stop even when they wanted to go. As their host, I felt I should take them in my car to the bus stop because they were going to Agege. The accident occurred at Bolade when my car collided with a molue. Someone died on the spot, while another one died in the hospital. I was rumoured to have died in the accident, but thank God, some good people came to my rescue. My sister, Alhaja Oluwambe Iya Kudi, and M. Ola Kazeem joined hands to take me out. My sister then was living in London, but she was in Nigeria for a visit when the accident happened.

How did Shina Peters become a member of your band?

He was very small when he came and I tried to discourage him to get involved in music instead of schooling. Then, he was playing the guitar for me and I was taking care of him. When I had the accident and was flown to London, my band boys invited him to lead the band and they were doing very well. In fact, everybody was calling him my son; some people thought that he was taking the place of his father who had an accident. I must say that people did not feel my absence so much because of that. We went to London together in 1972 and 1974.

What of Segun Adewale and Dayo Kujore; when did they join the band?

Adewale joined me in 1975. Kujore was not really my band boy in the real sense of it. He was an instrumentalist and he often came to play with my band. He played with my band for sometime; he even followed my band on a playing tour of Abidjan. He later went to form his own band.

How did you take the departure of Shina Peters and Segun Adewale?

It is natural to feel hurt, especially when someone like Shina Peters whom everyone saw as my son departed so suddenly. There is no way the departure of the two boys would not affect me because we had been so used to one another. When they said they were going, I had no choice but to accept it and move on. My view about this world had changed after I survived that terrible accident. Since then, I have not attached so much importance to the world we live in because I know that one day, we will not be here. When they said they were going, I had to let go because they were not the first to go and I knew they would not be the last. When I started the band, the name of my band was Prince Adekunle and his Western Brothers Band, but when Shina Peters and Segun Adewale left, I changed the name to General Adekunle and his Supersonic Band. I thank God that their departure did not result into evil either to me or the boys. I was happy that as they were doing well, my own fortune did not wane. I thank God that nobody had any reason to say I did them evil after they left me. It never happened that I had to go back to the boys to beg for anything. Since Shina Peters left me, he never came to me to say, ‘Oga, have this amount of money for your upkeep.’ Even Adewale too except one day that he came to my house and said he came to greet me. When he was going, he gave me N2000 and I prayed for him. I’m happy that all of them are doing well and we have met on several occasions.

You used to sing an Obey style when you started. When did you change to your own identity?

I had to sit down and think about creating my own identity, more so, to make people realise that I was capable of being on my own. I prayed about it and God did not disappoint me. That was when I sang Adiitu ede, Adekunle gbede.  When it came out, the fans accepted it and since then, Adekunle has been with his distinctive identity.

What of King Sunny Ade, were you not relating with him then?

I was friendly with him too; I related with him and whenever I got to where he was playing, he recognised me. If I needed any help and if there was anything he could do, he would not hesitate. I related with him and Chief Obey very well and they both supported me. I related with all musicians with no exception.

But you were always fond of singing in innuendoes and proverbs which were always perceived to be meant for your rivals? It was even said that you employed a lot of this when Shina and Adewale left.

When I’m not an agba iya (useless elder), why should I sing to attack my boys? Shina was with me when I sang Won Nreti Eleya,  Awodi nfo Feere.”What happens is that songs laced with innuendoes and proverbs sell records. It does not necessarily have to be against someone in particular. Won Nreti Eleya has remained one of my best selling records till date because there is nobody who does not have his own enemy. I’ve not used songs to attack or abuse anyone, why? But songs that are pregnant with meanings sell and are more popular among fans. The artiste that sits down to compose is doing so for his own happiness and the happiness of his fans but the fans always read meanings to songs and most of the time cause disaffection among artistes.

You hardly sing any song without a proverb, how did you know such wise sayings?

It is wisdom. As an artiste, you have to listen to what people say either at beer parlours or in any gathering and note very well how they talk. By moving with elderly ones too is another source of my philosophical songs. Listening to other older artistes too helps. At times, you wax a record which you consider to be very good, but you discover that people don’t buy it. Then there are others that you sing and are accepted beyond your expectations. I’ve done so many records which were not well accepted by fans. Any record that sells is by the special grace of God, not by the artiste himself.

By the time you were making waves, who else were your contemporaries besides Obey and KSA?

There were many of us then. Idowu Animasahun was there, Dele Abiodun too, Y.K. Ajao, and many of them. We were all relating very well. All of us still met recently at a forum of Juju musicians and we spent a good time together. Apart from juju musicians, I relate very well with all musicians of different genres.

In retrospect now, do you think you made good use of fortunes made from music?

Well, I thank God that I was able to succeed I married and had children that I trained very well. God built this house for me and I also have another one in my town, what else do I want? I established a printing press which I use to complement my earnings from music. What I’m doing now is doing God’s work as a pastor in the Word Bible Church. I became born again in 1991 with the help of Pastor J.B. Kumoluyi, the General Overseer of the church. Before then, I had been a member of the Celestial Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Church. The World Bible church sponsored my training at a Bible college as a pastor, which I do apart from music.

Before you became born again, what would you consider as your weakness, womanising, drinking or smoking?

It’s very rare for a musician not to drink. I used to drink and smoke. As a star, if you don’t want to womanise, the ladies are out there, ready to go out with you.

So, how did you handle women; how many of them did you marry?

Before I became born again, I married two wives but they left when things were no longer rosy. After they left, I married another one in 1985 and she has been with me till date. Two things are responsible for the downfall of musicians: money and women. You have to be able to play your game very well to overcome the two. At times, what women want from you is to share in the fame, not necessarily the money but one has to be very careful.

If things were going well with you, why did you have to traffic in drugs?

I’ve said I would not talk about the drug issue again because I did not traffic in drugs. What else did I want that I did not have then? I was doing well, I had cars, houses, children and my career was going on well, why should I traffic in drugs? I have explained it several times, but I will explain once again. I was going to America for my eye treatment when it happened. I was on the plane when a friend and fan recognised me and embraced me and we travelled together. When we landed in America, I had only one luggage, while this friend had three. I offered to help him carry one but unfortunately, I didn’t know the luggage contained drugs. Prior to that time, I never knew what they called cocaine or heroin because I never engaged in such a lifestyle. When we disembarked and in the queue for checking, he said he wanted to be cleared as quickly as possible and he beat everyone on the line without suspecting that he was up to a game plan.  He had been arrested but I did not know. When it was my turn to be checked, I was asked to account for the second bag I was carrying and I said it did not belong to me; that I only assisted him to carry one out of the three he was carrying. When I was asked to identify him, I looked around but he was no more in sight and when they asked me for his name, I did not know it either. When they said they wanted to check my bag, I said they could go ahead. They checked it and they found nothing except my clothes and records. But when they said they would have to force open the second one, I insisted that the owner should be around the corner but they told me that I would have to bear responsibility for whatever they found inside the luggage. Unfortunately, they found a powdery substance inside it and when they asked me what it was, I said I didn’t know because the bag did not belong to me. They said, ‘What are you saying Mr. Man? You carried a bag and you are telling stories.’ When I said I was not the owner, they said I should phone the owner to come forward to claim it but I was helpless. I didn’t know his name and his phone number. Then he had been arrested but I did not know. That was how I was hooked. I was arrested and according to the worth of the drugs found in the bag, I could earn 10 years imprisonment. I started praying and fasting as the case started and we were going to the court for almost two years. As God would have it, on the day the judges wanted to deliver verdict, the owner of the bag and myself were brought to the same court. I did not even know him again because it was getting to almost two years and as the judge told me that I should go and serve for 10 years, the man raised an objection through his lawyer. He said he was sorry for the travails of an innocent person who had just been sent to prison for 10 years. He owned up that he was the owner of the luggage found with me that contained the drugs. So, the judge asked me whether I had anything to say, I said I had written everything in my statement that I was not the owner of the bag. And when he sent for the file, the man’s statement corroborated with my written statement. The judge said I was forgiven but that by rule, anyone who had anything to do with such consignment was liable as well as the owner. The judge said, ‘Your statement was right and God is with you. I should have set you free, but because the owner of the bag is your friend, you will have to go and serve two years.’ I was happy and felt vindicated because I had considered suicide when I looked at the prospect of serving a 10-year jail term in a foreign land for an offence I knew nothing about. I felt that suicide would be a better option than the shame of going back to Nigeria after a long jail term but God was with me. Since I had almost finished the term, I was deported to Nigeria.

So what happened when you arrived at home?

I was taken to Kirikiri where I spent 12 months. Nobody listened to my story that I was only unlucky to suffer for another person’s offence. The authorities said I had tarnished the image of the country in a foreign land. I went to the Appeal Court and was set free later. I did not traffic in drugs but I was only very unfortunate to suffer innocently. The eye treatment that I went for, I couldn’t do it again but I thank God that I survived the travails. I thank God that since 1992 when I came back home, I’ve been living in peace with my family.

So if you were asked to mention the only regret you have in life, what would you mention?

The only regret is the drug problem in America. But in retrospect too, what happened to me in America happened because of a reason. If I was not arrested, I probably would have died.

Why?

When I said I was born again in 1991, I was still doing one or two things that were not holy like, drinking and smoking. Only God knows where I would have gone to with those things. I believe God preserved my life for what He is using me for now and I thank God for it.

Punch