The Fuji master, we learnt has been on sick bed for several months and the doctor is yet to ascertain the nature of his sickness. The Ilota, Kwara State-born musician is presently at home receiving treatment as he insisted on not going to the hospital for proper medical attention.
According to information at our disposal, the only surviving member of the tripod credited for the birth and development of the traditional fuji music, has not been as active as he used to be many years back.
These days, he’s always within the compound of his house with bed stationed beside him in case he needs to relax when he’s tired of sitting down.
In and around his Alagbado, Lagos home, there is palpable fear that the sickness is getting longer than necessary. Not even when his closest person and perceived rival, late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister passed on about two years ago.
When Global Excellence visited him at his home in Kola around Alagbado, the Ijo Yoyo crooner opened up to us that he’s truly ill but failed to disclose the nature of his sickness. He struggled with his words when he decided to speak on his illness, making it obvious that everything is not right with ‘Baba Alatika’. Speaking on the issue, he said: “whenever someone is sick, people will start exaggerating and they’ll come up with different ailments. The doctor said it was due to stress that I was going through lately”.
Although, Kollington Ayinla is fast advancing in age, however, he is still regarded as one of the best to come out of black Africa in terms of dishing out good music. ‘His repertory is so rich that he remains a central force in the industry’, averred a source in his house. Besides, since Barrister's death about two years ago, Kollington, otherwise called Kebe n Kwara among other titles, remains the rallying point for other fuji singers. It is thus not surprising that a good number of them rose to the occasion of his 50 years on stage.
Part of Kollington's contributions to the development of fuji is that the fast tempo of percussion of many of his albums makes it more danceable. Also, he is more or less the genesis of 'asakasa', the bawdy songs that Obesere later popularized. While he also notes in some of his albums that he introduced bata and piano into fuji, his music is of a significant socio-political essence as he never fails to capture the mood of the nation.
#Fuji Music Star