Bakulipanam Percy Paul Mokungah, known worldwide as Panam Percy Paul has been a blessing to different people with his songs. After 40 long years on the music scene, it is safe to say he has risen to the pedestal of an icon. DUPE AYINLA-OLASUKANMI spoke to him at Westown Hotel, Opebi on his involvement in a new reality TV gospel talent hunt called Stars4Christ, his music ministry, family and other sundry issues.
HOW did the journey into music ministry started?
I spent my early life in various parts of Nigeria because my father was an officer (Major) in the Nigerian Army, and he was always on assignment. My parents are members of the Lutheran Church. My mother was a composer. Whenever my father was transferred to a new place, we would go to church there. My mother would join the women’s choir or women’s fellowship of that church and would write Christian songs for them to sing. My father liked music too, especially the American “country western” music, and he had a big collection of gramophone records made by singers such as Jim Reeves. I used to listen to these records and imagine that I was the singer.
Apart from singing, do you also play musical instruments?
Yes. I played my first musical instrument, the harmonica, in 1961. My father taught me how to play the organ. I started playing the guitar in 1975. Even the man who actually taught me how to play the guitar did not even believe that I learnt it from him. My teacher, Mr. Saidi was teaching a fellow student how to play the guitar… and I saw how the student was arranging his fingers on the guitar and looking at the chord chart, and I became interested. So after a while he had the need to go to the bathroom and so I picked it up and within 15 minutes, I was already playing the C, F, and G notes and singing. I later asked my father to buy me a guitar, so he bought a cheap acoustic guitar for me. I taught myself to play and would try to mimic the song and play along on my father’s records. Later, I would entertain my parents, brothers and sisters by playing the guitar and singing along my renditions. They would all laugh, but my mother would encourage me saying, “Son, keep it up. Something good is going to come out of that.” One year later I entered for a music competition, but my preparation was insufficient. Facing the crowd, I became so nervous that my performance was woeful. I did not know what to do so my father walked up and dragged me off the stage. I was humiliated, but I was not discouraged. I practiced diligently, entered the competition again the next year and took first position.
Why did you agree to be one of the judges for Stars4Christ reality talent show?
You see, that man (Christ) gave me the opportunity to sing songs that are evergreen. Songs that have been there for about 25-30 years, they are still doing fine today as if they were released just yesterday. These are some of the things that I will like to pass across to these people, that you can be so talented, even if it just a singing ability. But we want to go beyond the singing talent, into the ministry, into the proper talents. You have discovered your talent, work it with purpose, which is what stars are supposed to do in the life of the Christian youth.
You have refused to pattern your songs after current trends. Why?
You see the thing with trends is that they always come and go. So if you pattern your music after a trend, that trend will go. And it may interest you to know that trends never last longer than 12 months, they just go.
Why have you not done songs with secular artistes like some other gospel acts?
That can never happen, and will never happen.
Why?
It is because you can never reach out to the world without being contaminated. Once you do a collaboration with someone that is not sanctified, that does not even belong to the kingdom, I mean what are you doing with such a person? When the substance itself is messed up, whoever is going to receive it, will receive a messed up material. So I can never do a musical collaboration with an unbeliever. What has an unbeliever got, that I don’t have? Is it money? I have it. So what I’m I looking for? Is it fame? I have it. So what has that person got, that will add to what I have? Nothing! If they ask me to do collaboration with them, I will do because they know I have influence over them. If a secular person says, come and do with me, then you are influential, which means, you have influence over such person. But if you say to an unbeliever come and do collaboration with me, it means that person exerts an influence you.
Have you had any request from secular acts to do collaborations with them?
No, they are actually afraid of me. I cannot do collaboration with anybody and such a person will not get born again.
We do not get to hear much about you recently, are you slowing down?
No, I am more into developing people. I ran a college of music in Jos called Panam College located at Osei within Jos North and South. I teach music, sound engineering and music management, just for the music ministry to be versatile.
When was this established?
Since 1998, and we have graduated over 2000 student so far.
You have been in Jos for over 30 years without relocating, any reason?
You see everybody has a foundation, a place they call home. Jos is home and I can not run away from my home and go to another place, it will be strange. Besides, if you are living and being led by the Holy Spirit, you just don’t leave anyhow. So because there is a chaotic situation in Jos, does not mean that I should leave Jos. If God found it necessary to keep me there and build me to the status he has built me, and now that I have attained this level, does not mean I should leave my root. If He decides to post me, then I will follow the posting.
But as long as He has not transferred me, I will still stay where I am. What I have discovered is that Jesus Christ never traveled more than 250 kilometers from where He was born. But His fame went far. So it is your fame that goes far and not the person. So what will make you famous? It is that thing that you know how to do easily and excellently. So for me it is music. I have remained in Jos and my music has become famous all over Nigeria, Europe, America, if I were to physically traveled to all these places, I would have spent lot of money and worn myself out, and yet achieve nothing.
Being a public figure, have you had an encounter with any of the warring factions in Jos?
Interestingly no, however attempts have been made to destroy my office but I always have military personnel around. We have moved out of there since it was a temporary place to a permanent site, which is dominated by Christians. Whenever anything wants to happen, the Lord always have a way of taking me out of there. So I have not witnessed any of the crises.
Exactly, where are you from?
I am actually from Numan, in Adamawa State. People assume that I am from Jos; because I have lived in Jos for 35 years and it was there that I first came to limelight. Also Panam, sounds like a Plateau name, but I have been associated with them for a long time and I am proud to be there.
How have you managed to keep your musical talent fresh after 40years?
What I actually do is to be myself. The greatest thing I have done is to be myself and be original. I love Panam, and believe I love being Panam. I cannot be somebody else, I hate been a photocopy, I mean copying people. I love to learn, and I learn from people everyday. Once I learn, I Panamise it. I make it positive by infusing it into my ability and make it so original to me, that when you see it next time, you would not know I learnt it from you, unless I say I got this from you and this is how I used it to suit my ability. There is nothing better than originality because it makes you stand out.
How many albums do you have to your name?
They are about 12 presently. Before the Bring Down The Glory series, they were other albums. But that was the praise worship album that exploded all over the world, both Nigeria and abroad. So many people thought and still think that Bring Down The Glory album, volume 1, was my very first recording. My first album was released in 1976.
Is any member of your family taking after your footsteps?
All my family members both married and single are all into music. My first daughter read law, and cinematography. She is married with three sons; my second is in the UK, the third is the only boy, and now the director of Panam Music, and one of the finest drummers you can find in the country. And all of them sing. The last is a girl, Lauren and she is an incredible singer. And they all sing with me. They started from the age of nine, when they started singing in my studio. So whenever I do a studio recording, they are always there until they grew up. When we did Bring Down the Glory, Volume 4, they were there.
