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| Late Chief Elemure Ogunyemi |
The first time I became fully aware of his music and personality was in the early nineties during the euphoria of the expectation of his then upcoming album wherein he made a (popular) veiled indignant reference to fellow and perceivably younger musician with the lines;
“agba o agba
Agba li’tora
K’olomode ko ya’ju s’agba
Agba a pa l’egba
Agba li t’ora...”
Loosely translated, “I’m advanced in age in my own way; a delinquent young man must be well vapulated”. Those lines caught my imagination which was reinforced with the depiction of those lines in the music video reportedly shot in Akure, the then capital of the old Ondo state. Trust my Ekiti folks, the song became a sort of riot act to be readily sung unto any seemingly disrespectful kid.
But of course, Chief Dr. Elemure Ogunyemi’s musical career predates my consciousness and probably my existence. Along with his many rivals in the Ekiti ere ubile genre, Late Chief Elemure took the genre to the consciousness of the elites, ‘Ekiti abroads’, other parts of the Yoruba land and even above the shores of Nigeria for he did many oversea tours. The complete story of Elemure (as dotingly referred to by fans and whose real names I admittedly never bothered to find out) and his exploits could only be told by people way older than me. However with the little I knew of him, I must submit that he was a musical giant by all rights…his was the first Ekiti music to be aired on a DSTV musical channel at least.
Late Elemure also fought many battles of rivalry, supremacy and relevance among his people, peers and musicians of other genres. And he did win a fair some. While it is given that musicians thrive on controversies, it is also of a truth that the fastest way to kill a career is by courting one; Elemure shown like a million stars after each controversy. He was derided, ridiculed, rejected, dismissed and criticized as being a local champion but he held his head high above the turbulent waters of uncertainties called musical career which consumed some of his contemporaries
In the pre-1996 Ekiti land, the mere information that Elemure was going to perform at your event was a guarantee your occasion was going to be overfilled. He was the rock star of our little world. Tracks after tracks, album against albums, he held us spellbound. No one would easily forget the hit album/track “Seramo” a satirical euphemism for gender disguise as means of surviving the harsh economy. My favorite songs include “elese mu te’le”, “jagiligbo”, “seranko seniyan”, “pata wahala”, “ojerere olu odo”, “orire”, “seni sese mi wele”, “pandoro”, “o mo’omo”, etc. The song that changed everything was released just before the creation of Ekiti state while the clamor was at its peak. Therein he sang “kila ti a se’yi si o, Ekiti kete?” (How do we deal with this [problem of our identity], Ekitis?).
Little did he himself know that the song was going to be phenomenal, for after a little while, the State was created by Gen. Sani Abacha. Elemure promptly entered the studio again and crooned;
“a ti ri’hun ka I wa o Ekiti Kete
A ti ri’hun ka I fe o Ekiti kete
A de ti de’bi ka i mu o Ekiti kete
Ekiti jake jado, Ekiti kete”
(We have seen what we’ve been looking for, Ekitis
We have gotten what we were after, Ekitis
And we are at our promise land, Ekitis
Ekiti home and abroad)
Though the much chagrined people of the new Ondo state formulated theirs as “a ti ri’bi tihin si o Ekiti kete, Ekiti arm(ed)y robbers”. Well I refuse to interpret that, silly them! That particular remix got the attention of every stakeholder in Ekiti and beyond. Moreover the song is still very much in use in the present Ekiti. Elemure deserves some posthumous special commendation for using this talents to help in the struggle for the Ekiti identity before and after the state creation. I remember vividly that he played for weeks albeit free of charge at the Oluyemi Kayode stadium as part of the creation festivities. He was also a social critic and he did a song with the lines “eho oniru eho alata, hin ja’mo ka’se a naa” (let’s spend judiciously the meager revenue of the state) which almost got him into the bad books of the then administrator, Col. Inuwa Bawa.
Alas! It was the much celebrated state creation that gave Elemure the biggest knockout of his career. Simply put, events overtook him. The newly created state with the capital at Ado Ekiti was fast developing both economically and socially. The people wanted something more trendy and urban. Youths wanted to measure up with the city dwellers who favored hip-hop –not even juju. Ere-ubile didn’t fit into their plans. The elderlies who understood and appreciated the rich heritage of the genre were dwindling in numbers. State functions preferred cultural troupes or juju music –not some thick Ekiti-ish stuff. For a while, he was still the grandmaster of the in the rural areas but that also diminished with time. Urbanization, like a raging bush fire in the harmattan was fast eroding the shade of “ere ubile” flora. Gradually, the twilights set in for the exponents of its generally including Dele Martina, Dele Ariyo, Ologun Sunny, Adahunra, etc.
In his hey days, he set the pace, others followed. He was the toast of everyone with his rich repertoire of songs of proverbs, veiled verbal attacks, outright insults, derision, criticisms, advice and folklore. Of particular personal interest is the song below which I find very philosophical and empirical;
“O d’o li jagiligbo o /R: jagiligbo 2x
Omode I sukun uwe kiko /R
Itisha I sukun eho o /R
Se tisa la mo a be o /R
Abi ujoba la mo a be o /R
Abi oselu la mo a be o /R
O d’o li jagiligbo o /R”
[It’s pandemonium now /R: Pandemonium
Children are crying for education /R
The teachers are clamoring for money /R
Do we beg the teachers? /R
Or we beg the government? /R
Or is it the political class? /R
It’s indeed pandemonium]
Like all humans, he came but unlike most, he made his mark in the sands of time. With a considerable level of confidence, he can boast at the gate of heaven that, “I came, I saw and I conquered”. A little over a year ago, having realized his almost inconspicuous absence on the social scene, I asked my mother about his whereabouts. I was told he had possibly developed stroke. I heard no more of him until the news of his demise on the morning of thur September 16th, 2014. Rest in peace, Chief (Dr.) Elemure Ogunyemi, the Elejoka of Isaba, Ikole Ekiti.
Nice piece Martins.
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