– Late Orlando Owoh’s manager, Musese
Even at 80 years of age, only a few can boast of knowing his real name. That is because for decades, many have known and called him only by his nickname, Musese. However, Chief Samuel Olayiwola Ohunleye, one-time band manager of late Orlando Owoh of the African Kenneries band, who recently joined the league of Octogenarians, is a man of many mysteries and histories. Taiwo Abiodun, who recently caught up with him, reports.
Early days
In this rare interview, Chief Samuel Olayiwola Ohunleye aka Musese went down memory lane to talk about his years managing late Nigerian musician Orlando Owoh‘s band, the scary moment his Italian girlfriend pulled a pistol on him, Orlando Owoh ‘s brawl with the late Barrister Sikiru Ayinde and many more.
“I was a sprinter back in my days at Imade College in Owo”, he began. “I represented my school in the 100 meters sprint when Queen Elizabeth of England came to Nigeria in 1956. I was very hardworking and honest, which made many to love me. Also, I am a principle person; I dislike people telling lies. It is not in my blood as a person from royal family to habour dishonesty. My parents were disciplinarians, so I inevitably imbibed that spirit and humility from them.”
How my Italian girlfriend pulled a Pistol on me
Musese recalls an incident once, when he traveled out of the country looking for greener pastures. “This Japa syndrome started from me. I laugh when I hear some people saying they Japa, they Japa; I started it. And it was not easy. I had a lady I wanted to marry back home called Dupe who is now late. We were so much in love. I told her of my plan to travel abroad and my plan to meet my Italian Pen pal girlfriend who had sent me an invitation. Back in the days, we had Pen pals and sent post cards, love and greeting cards to each other. It was the vogue then. I told Dupe that after settling down I would send for her. Meanwhile, I had introduced my future fiancee, Dupe, to her as my sister. So when I got to Italy, Dupe started writing to me. One day, one of Dupe’s letters was intercepted by this Italian lady. In fact, I didn’t know how she got the letter. She showed me the letter and read the contents to me which was full of promises and love messages, reminding me not to forget my promise to bring her to Italy once I got my papers.
“The Italian lady read it out line by line to my hearing. I was glued to where I was standing and sweating profusely. She then drew out a pistol in with a clear intent to shoot me. I became confused; I knelt down, I prostrated, I rubbed my hands and I was perspiring and panting like a dog. I was begging her not to shoot. You see all these foreign ladies? They don’t joke with love. If you are caught cheating on them, you are doomed. For some reason, she did not pull the trigger, but she immediately reported me to the Police. And because over there they have sympathy for women; I was immediately deported back to Nigeria. That was in 1970. The rest, like they say, is history.”
How I met Orlando Owoh
“I was Orlando Owoh’s manager for about 38 years. I was not his first manager though. The first manager was Sunday Adetoro; later the late Chief Osennepen became his manager. In fact I brought Osennepen to Orlando. I met Orlando Owoh in Mushin in company of my late police officer friend, Olu Amonbonye (aka Kanna Kanna Olympio) in Panti, Lagos. We were friends with Ohuru Dandy. We used to meet at a Palm wine bar owned by one Ohimaro, an Ibo man who once lived and sold palm wine in Owo before he relocated to Lagos. Even in Lagos, he continued with the same business, so anytime the three of us went to the palm wine bar, we invited Orlando to join us. One day, Orlando said he needed some assistance; I said if it was money or instrument I didn’t have. Then I was planning to go back to Italy, or America. Orlando later told me he was looking for someone to manage him, especially someone from his hometown. That was how I temporarily shelved traveling out again. Again, the rest became history.”
Managing Orlando
“The late Musician was easy and simple. I discovered I could manage him as long as I could talk to him in a good manner and above all be kind and honest with him. These are the qualities Orlando wanted. He wasn’t arrogant; in fact he was one of the best musicians to manage. When we started, we were collecting two shillings and six pence as gate fee at shows. We used to play at Baba Sala’s hotel in Ibadan. In fact Orlando had played in many states in Nigeria.”
Memories
“His memory cannot be easily wiped out. He is a legend. He can be likened to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bob Marley or Jimmy Cliff who recently died. He was among the freedom fighters because his music was folkloric, poetic, and full of proverbs. He sang for freedom. You could say he was radical but that was his own style.”
On how many today now copy and sing Orlando’s songs, even mimic his voice, Musese said: “That is what I am saying! That is what makes him a legend! Look, Bob Marley died over 40years ago but his music lives on and many books have been published about him. A writer in Ogbomoso, Folaranmi Adewuyi Adegbite published a book on Orlando Owoh. If you go on the Internet, you will see different artistic ways his pictures are being used with his songs. Go and see what Artificial Intelligence is doing with Bob Marley. Look, they have been playing Jimmy Cliff music the more since the announcement of his death a few days ago. The Internet has exploded with his videos. That is exactly how Orlando is now. I know about six or seven musicians singing like him, and some are not even from his native town.
“My prayer is to have the Ondo State and Lagos State Arts and Culture give him more recognition and have his statue erected at his house and in Lagos and Ifon, Owoh’s home-town, just like they did for Bob Marley in Jamaica. They will soon erect Jimmy Cliff’s statue in Jamaica and all over the world because his music is healing to troubled souls. Recently, at Channel 8 (LTV), Agidingbi, Ikeja, we were given an award related to Orlando. I mean myself, Orimipe Orlando (Orlando’s son) and his group along with some Orlando Band Boys who are still alive, in recognition of our works.
My fear at 80
“My regret is I can no longer do most of what I used to do, especially early morning jogging. I was a sprinter back in my youth days. Now I am afraid of all these rampaging bandits, so I have stopped jogging, because they could kidnap me and be asking for a ransom from my family. The fear of bandits is the beginning of wisdom. I understand they have surrounded everywhere in our Southwest. So now I do everything at home. I would walk round the compound and do some exercises.
“Yes, I recently clocked 80 and I thank God for my life. I still have some of my friends like Chief Akin Aruwajoye Snr who is the Ogbeni Oja of Owo Kingdom; Dr. Tokunbo Ajasin and some others. However, some of my friends have died. I thank God that I am still alive. There is this history of longevity in my family. My mother died last year at the age of 95. The final burial ceremony is coming up this December. My father also died at a very old age. My younger ones are in their 70s. My father once told me that they live long in our family, same with my maternal side. When you are getting old, you cut down on so many things. There are foods you should not eat and so on.”
My best Orlando album
“My best Orlando albums are: Ero ki Mama mi o bo ba dele and Itan Orogun Meji. The two tracks are powerfully loaded with words of encouragement, love, mother’s love and emotional. When you are far away from home, you play ‘Ero ki Mama mi’ …. And if you practise polygamy, be good to your step children and anybody. Imagine a second wife poisoning the food of her step-son, only for her only child to eat it! There are lessons to learn from Orlando’s songs. As I said, his songs are like that of Bob Marley.
The cold war between Orlando Owoh and Sikiru Ayinde Barrister
Musese went down memory lane to recall the cold war between two late Musicians: Orlando Owoh and Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. He said: “Many years back, both musicians were invited by an elderly man to perform during December period. The two musicians were asked to play for 30 minutes each. Orlando followed the instruction and played for 30minutes but when it was the turn of Barrister, he played non-stop. Orlando was not impressed. The celebrant’s son came to tell Barrister to stop, but he didn’t yield. Before you could say Jack Robinson, Barrister’s instruments stopped working. He then came to beg Orlando, thinking it was his handiwork. Yes! Barrister accepted Orlando as his Boss. Orlando removed all his clothes remaining his underwear to prove that he didn’t have anything (juju) on him to have used to stop Barrister’s instruments. Barrister later used Orlando’s instruments to play that night.”
I keep my beard for security reason
Asked why he keeps his beard, Musese laughed and said, “It is my logo. It is my signature. It is my identity,” he said, bursting into laughter. “Once when I shaved it many years ago, it was my friend, Olu Amonbonye (Kanna Kanna), the police officer who frowned at it and advised me not to shave it again. I had gone to visit him at his office and he asked me to come in. Surprisingly, when I sat before him, he could not recognise me and was still asking one of his officers to bring me in. When I now told him that ‘this is me, Musese,’ he looked at me again and said he found it difficult to recognise me. He then advised me never to shave, that it is only criminals who change their identity. He said people could mistake me for a criminal if I start changing from what they knew me for. That was how I stopped shaving and it’s now over 50 years ago.”
Now retired
“I have retired from managing anybody,” Musese said. “But I have a small place where I sell beer. We call the place ‘Ijoko Agba (Base of Elders). Here brains like Honorable Fadeyi, Bayo Afolabi, some professors, people in the academic community and others brainstorm. We discuss very important things and how to make sure Owo develops. It is not a political forum, but a place for elders in Owo community to brainstorm.”
How he got the name, Musese
Now he bursts out laughing. “I don’t even know the meaning. It was my Italian lady whose name I have even forgotten that was calling me Muzeze; but our people could not pronounce it. Instead they changed the Z to S and started calling me Musese. It has stuck with me till date.
