Nigerians have continued to shower encomiums on the King of Juju music, Otunba Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye known as King Sunny Ade (KSA) as he turns 70.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday, described him as a cultural icon and a trail blazer.
In a statement in Lagos on Thursday, the Minister hailed King Sunny Ade’s contribution to the growth of Nigerian music,
which is fast becoming a global brand, crediting him and other musical
stars of his generation for charting the path for today’s generation
of ”Young Turks” in the industry.
He said it is particularly delightful that in spite of his age, King
Sunny Ade has remained active on the music scene, thus reinforcing his
position as a cultural ambassador, who has done so much to project a
positive image for the country over the years.
Mohammed prayed that God will grant King Sunny Ade many more
years in good health so that he can continue to be a source of
inspiration to aspiring music artists in particular and indeed the entire Nigerian youth in general.
The governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, described the music maestro as a rare breed and a precious gift to the music world.
Aregbesola made the remark as a mark of honour to Sunny Ade, who is celebrating his 70th birthday.
In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor said Sunny Ade represents for the country and every black man a source of pride.
In the statement titled: Aregbesola sings for Sunny Ade at 70, he described the juju musician as a muse, a prodigious songster, creative enigma, conversationist musician, whose reach in musical world is limitless.
The governor said Sunny Ade could single up to the age of seventy due to combination of factors which include his dexterity, originality, hard work and above all the grace of God.
According to him, the juju exponent has made his mark in the music world as one of the most gifted and prolific singers and song writers with an uncommon consistency in the last four decades.
The statement said in part, “Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye is undoubtedly one of the music icons on the African continent. He is a gift not only to Nigeria but also the whole music communities of the world.
“He sings with great convenience, grace, and originality. His lyrics are evergreen, renewable and didactic.
“A prolific song writer, gifted guitarist, prophet, excellent dancer all rolled into one.
“As he celebrates his three scores and a decade of existence on earth, we cannot but wish him more prosperous years and may the muse continue to sing and sing to the benefit of humanity.”
Chief Tony Okoroji, the Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), also described King Sunny Ade as a trail-blazer in the Nigerian music industry.
According to Okoroji, Sunny Ade is a trail-blazer in the Nigerian music industry today because he contributed immensely to making it viable and respectable.
The COSON chairman said on Thursday in Lagos that even at 70 years of age, Sunny Ade remains “an icon“, whose success should spur parents to support their children interested in making a career in music.
He stated that the 70-year-old musician has inspired a lot of Nigerians to make a success of their career in music.
“Not too many parents would have encouraged their children to take to music before Sunny Ade but Sunny Ade made it viable and made it interesting for people to play music.
“And then, in a way, developed the path that a lot of people have followed.
“Sunny has performed before presidents, before kings, before queens and before royalty.
“That definitely has helped put music on a very respectable pedestal and inspired quite a lot of people.
“I am not sure there is any person who would not want to have a Sunny Ade as a relation and that is good for music.
“I wish him happy birthday and many happy returns; we will celebrate him at eighty and at ninety and at a hundred.
“Hopefully, he will still continue to flaunt his guitar.’’
The COSON chairman said that artistes and music fans would always make reference to Sunny Ade’s great contributions to the development of the nation’s music industry.
Upcoming artistes, on Thursday, also described him as a cultural legend.
Elizabeth Oyovwe, a gospel artist, said that she had always regarded KSA a “godfather’’ in the music industry because of his maturity both in style and trend.
“I always play the videos of Pa Sunny Ade to enlighten my intellect on the cultural touch whenever I was planning a show and even in the composition of my songs.
“I cherish the cultural touch he sustains in his music and he maintains it even outside the country,’’ she said.
According to her, Sunny Ade should be named “Pride of Nigerian culture’’ as the leading projector of the nation’s cultural heritage to the world.
Speaking on her latest work, “Gallant of Praise’’, Oyovwe stated that the album featured four ethnic cultures, Hausa, Edo, Igbo and Yoruba in both the lyrics and the video.
The upcoming artist noted that it was her own way of promoting Nigeria’s rich culture and tradition to the outside world.
Similarly, a comedian Emmanuel Idemudia, popularly known as “Paparazzi’’ said that Sunny Ade’s works would remain timeless because of the wisdom in his lyrics.
“The songs of the Juju music icon is an ever active lyric that will remain relevant even decades after, unlike our contemporary songs by our young artistes.
“Though his songs are seen by many as songs for the matured minds, it is a challenge for the computer age musicians, as most young artistes drift towards alien entertainment.
“We need to redirect our youths to our cultural songs and performances like that of King Sunny Ade which is in line with programmes such as “Village Headmaster’’, “Tales by moonlight’’, “Winds of Destiny’’ and lots more.
“The media industry should promote more of these cultural and epic works in Nollywood and national screens,” he said
Paula Mbah said that the Juju music exponent was her cultural role model that inspired her in compositions and stage performances.
“King Sunny Ade has raised my moral in learning how to play local drums and other traditional musical instruments during my stage performances.
“In fact, as a woman, I play the talking drum which is a major point of admiration from my fans,’’Mbah added.
Another upcoming artiste, Otunba has urged the government to honour Sunny Ade for his cultural contributions to the entertainment industry.
“I see King Sunny Ade as a model that showcases the rich cultural heritage of our great country,’’ he said.
The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) also eulogised King Sunny Ade.
Mr Pretty Okafor, PMAN National President, described him as a superstar of all ages whose songs remain timeless and inspiring.
“Sunny Ade is a living Legend, who is a special blessing from God to the African continent.
“He has served as an inspiration and mentor to both old and upcoming artistes over the years,” he said.
Okafor added that the septuagenarian had over the years brought pride to Africa, particularly the Nigeria by taking the African musical genre to the global stage.
He urged young artistes to emulate Sunny Ade’s doggedness, passion and consistency that made him remain relevant in the dynamic music industry.
“I grew up to meet some of his songs, yet they are still as inspiring and entertaining today as they were many years ago.
“Every musician needs to learn lessons of hard work and creativity from this master of music.
“We pray God to grant him more healthy years, so that we can keep learning from him,” Okafor said.
Mr Agility Onwura, Chairman of the FCT chapter of AGN, described Sunny Ade as a multi-talented instrumentalist, singer and dancer.
“Even at his age, he remains an entertainer per excellence, especially on the stage.
“We pray that God will grant him longer life and good health in his service to humanity,”Onwura said.
The King of Juju music popularly called the ‘Minister of Enjoyment’ by fans, was born as Sunday Adeniyi on September 22, 1946.
He has been actively involved in music since the 1960s.
Over the years, Sunny Adé’s band changed its name several times, first to African Beats and then to Golden Mercury, for various reasons ranging from changes in his music to business concerns.
His music albums have earned him many awards, including his first Grammy Award nomination in the ‘Folk/ethnic Music’ category.
