If anybody is expecting veteran artiste, Ebenezer Obey, to retire from music, that may not happen as the legend has said such action could lead to his death.
He said, “I must tell you something. If I retire from music, I would die quickly. That is what I feel. I have been diabetic since I was 30 years old. It took the power and ministry of God to keep me alive. It has affected my eyes but I am not blind. As it is, I would say it is the miracle of God. Playing music is a tonic for me. At 75, all I want is whatever pleases God.”
Some people his age may still have gone ahead to remarry moreso as he lost his wife some years ago. But the singer turned evangelist told Saturday Beats that he still misses his wife and doubts if he would ever re-marry.
“I met my wife when I was a struggling musician and her parents told her not to marry me. They warned her not to marry a musician but she told them that she was going to marry me. I met her in her elder brother’s place because he was my friend. When I met her, we greeted and that was how we started.
“When you are a musician and the ladies tell you that you are handsome, you are in trouble. They used to tell me that when I was much younger.
That was a big problem. We thank God I was able to overcome that. Women are part of music and I had my own fair share of that but God helped me to put it under control because He knew He was taking me somewhere.
I want my life to be read. I am not hiding anything. Then, I did not drink neither did I smoke because my mother had warned me against that and it was believed that every musician engaged in such but I had my fair share of women,” he said.
And talking about his 75th birthday coming up in April, Obey said that as part of his birthday celebration, he is going to give back to his community, Idogo, Ogun State that made him who he is today.
“I would kickstart my 75th birthday celebration at Idogo, where I built a police post to give back to the society that made me who I am today. It would be inaugurate. Also, the Idogo Area Progressive Union where I am a pioneer member is making the king and me the chief patrons of the club due to my contribution to the community.
On April 3, at Abeokuta, there will be a church service in the morning at the Olusegun Obasanjo Event Centre. The former president actually paid for the hall. On that day, I also intend to launch the Ebenezer Obey Music Foundation.
The aim of the foundation is to train youngsters in music and it would be affiliated to the Olabisi Onabanjo University. I also want to have endowments in different universities so that I can give scholarships to students. Also my friends are planning something in Lagos before the year runs out,” he said.
