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I
was humiliated, but not discouraged |
The
Beginning
“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 reassignments. My parents were members of
the Lutheran Church and my mother was a composer of songs.
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.
Musical
Instruments
“In 1961, I started to play my first musical instrument,
the harmonica. My father taught me 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 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.
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 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.
Knowing Christ
“I became born again on July 13, 1976.
I was what you might consider a sickler but not as having
sickle cell anemia. Every 3 months in a year found me bedridden
because I had high fever there was some kind of congestion
or whatever in my chest. Each time it came, it was so bad
that I thought I would die.
“I suffered like this persistently for
years. This went on for six years until 1976 when suddenly,
I started to see images and noticed
the roof of the house spinning. I saw some spiritual images
and sometimes I saw some things that didn’t look natural.But
when I talked about them, nobody in the room seemed to understand.
“Certainly,
they were not angels. These were spirit beings, wicked spirit
beings, because they did some nasty things to me. They were
oppressing and suppressing me. I had gone to so many places
for assistance.
I even tactically joined the Rosicrucian Movement Society
just to be able to get some form of help. But all I got were
certain powers to exhibit some control over the environment.
I knew how to hypnotize some people. But that didn’t
give me joy because my health was still bad.
“So, while in the hospital, I became fed up with the
sickness and then sought God, saying wherever God is, if He
does exist, He just should prove Himself to me. So, I screamed
on my bed and said “Jesus, if You are there, and if
You have really died for us and resurrected; then make me
believe it.
Show me that You died and rose again for my sake, and the
only way You can show me is to heal me. |
Was that a challenge to Him?
Yeah. I was desperate because everybody had the opportunity
to write their WASC Examinations but I could write only 2
papers and that was it. That same weekend, the CAPRO (Calvary
Ministers) then headed by Bayo Famunure, who incidentally
was my teacher in the secondary school, was organising a film
show and what they showed was a T. L. Osborne’s crusade
films.
“In the film, I heard T.L Osborne say, “those
of you watching, you can see how Jesus healed this boy whose
leg was four inches shorter than the other, He can also heal
you. So, just lay your hand where you have an ailment. So,
I moved my hand to my chest, loosed my two top buttons and
slipped in my hand. The man prayed and I said ‘Amen.’
That was it. I felt as light as a feather and as free as air.
The congestion in my system just vanished.
For the first time, I shouted, jumped and started shouting,
“I am healed, I am healed!” And they started chasing
me about, probably wondering if I was mentally all right.
Of course, I had to stop running because I was so fast; no
one could catch up with me
Musical Career
“I began to record albums when I was twenty years old.
After I finished from Kaduna Polytechnic, I got a job with
Radio ELWA Christian Communications as a Production Supervisor/Engineer.
I got married when I was twenty-four years old. God has blessed
us with four children.
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“My elder brother, Rev. Phillip Paul Mokungah, [now
deceased], became a pastor of an independent Pentecostal Church
called Oasis of Love in Jos, Plateau State in 1978. What I
saw there, he encouraged me to decide on being a full-time
gospel music minister. I resigned my position with Radio ELWA
and set up my own recording studio with digital recording
equipment in Jos. I named it Panam Music World.
Panam Music World
“Panam Music World is an organization set up to facilitate
the education of the musicians. Facilities are available for
good evangelism, and a springboard for any musician whether
there is cash or no cash. We also run a college, the Panam
College of Music Ministry. I compose, arrange and produce
my cassettes albums single-handedly. I also arrange and/or
produce for many gospel musicians. In addition to my own compositions,
there are video tape recordings of my performances. I also
publish sheet music for church choirs for them to render my
gospel songs correctly.
“I am grateful that people of different ethnic groups
in Nigeria are listening to my recordings. My aim as a gospel
music minister is to lead non-Christians to be interested
in the gospel message and to draw them to the true knowledge
of our saviour Jesus Christ. My gospel songs are a way of
worshipping God and establishing an intimate relationship
with Him.
Standards
“I am not satisfied with the standards of gospel music
in Nigeria because of the mentality of musicians. In the first
place, how many of them really know that they are ministers
and not entertainers? Secondly, I think that the pastorate
has contributed to the problem of the music ministers. They’ve
made it look like something you do to earn a salary.
“I want the upcoming music ministers to know that the
ministry has an origin. The ministry started with God. God
was the first musician and it was He who made Lucifer to have
part of His Spirit in order to minister back to Him. So, the
musician is always so gifted that he can function in all the
offices.”
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| I've
incubated jazz with the blood of Jesus |
If
the human physique is what determines the ability to sing,
then only a few people would
reckon with
Kunle Ajayi, he would easily pass for a mere instrumentalist
judging from his brief stature and unassuming character.
But Ajayi, who is the creator of those scintillating gospel
instrumentals, has also waxed a total of 13 albums, one of
which he co-produced with the Jos-based Adamawa State-born
Panam Percy Paul and Wale Adenuga of Fountain of Praise.
(www.fopmusic.com)
Samuel Olakunle Ajayi once rejected an offer of N33,000 from
a popular Islamic philanthropist (now late) who was famous
for sponsoring Islamic programmes including holy pilgrimage
of Moslems to Mecca.
Reflecting on the challenges he had as a youth, Ajayi disclosed
that he once worked as a bus conductor in Lagos. “When
I set out in life, I had no support because my parents
said I wanted to become another Fela, while some said I wanted
to become Sunny Ade. Music meant very
little to my parents who wanted me to become either a lawyer
or doctor.
But my school principal who knew that at the tender age of
nine, I was already able to play four musical instruments
encouraged me to seek a future in music. “It
was not easy for me because there was
nobody to pay my bills. I had to do odd jobs like selling
wine, bus conductor, etc in order to pay my house rent,
buy
handouts, etc while I
was a student at Lagos State College of Education, Ijanikin.
" By this time, he had met Christ and he believed that
God wanted to put his faith to test when a particular Islamic
philanthropic sent some people to him to play the guitar for
an Islamic recording. His words: “At that time, I had
no money on me. There was no food in my house. I was so confused
on what to do especially how to reconcile my Christian faith
with participating in the recording of an Islamic album vis-à-vis
my financial state. I was offered N33, 000 in 1983. How much
was Peugeot 504 then?
I met one of the lecturers on the matter; he encouraged me
to do it as a part time job and to augment my living. I felt
good and I agreed to go on. But on the day of recording,
I heard the Holy Spirit calling me and asking me this question
“What is your full name?” I answered “Samuel
Olakunle Ajayi.” The Spirit then continued “So
they will write on the sleeve ‘Samuel Olakunle Ajayi
as a guitarist.” This troubled me so much that on that
very day, I disappeared from the school. They looked for me
all over the place; I was nowhere to be found. When we met
much later and I told them why I didn’t show up, I was
called a fool. They said so I missed that N33,000 because
of that? They said we Christians and Muslims worship the same
God. But I don’t think so, God, according to the Bible,
is different from the Allah mentioned in the Koran.”
Ajayi also recounted similar challenges when a family friend,
wife of a wealthy man, invited him to her house at Ilupeju,
Lagos. |
After
the woman broke his guitar box, she warned him never
to play music again because she suspected he was possessed
by a familiar Spirit (Emere).
However, as he was being discouraged by some people, he also
came across men like Pastor Adejare Adeboye (General Overseer
of the Redeemed Christian Church of God) who encouraged him.
his words: “One day when I was much younger, he saw
me and gave me a recorder. Adeboye is my father.
I don’t object to it when people call me Adeboye’s
boy. The first time I was to travel out, he refused me buying
my own ticket. He said I would be traveling with him. Today,”I
am so involved in the church choir that I am one of the coordinating
Music Directors. Unknown
to so many people, Ajayi plays 16 musical instruments ranging
from drums and string instruments to wind instruments. “I
play exactly 16 music instrument: the piano, violin, drums,
clarinets, different saxophones, flutes, etc. I teach music
and write it in sheet forms. Most people do not know that
most times, I play almost all the instruments people listen
to in my albums”
Instrumental music and evangelism
My vision for instrumental music began when I had a problem
with my lungs. I told the Lord that if He could heal me, I
would blow (the saxophone) for Him. Before then, I have been
very proficient with other instruments like the guitar, keyboard,
etc. But I couldn’t blow any wind instrument properly.
Miraculously, He healed me and I have to fulfill my side of
the bargain.
"Though, jazz is a non-vocal medium and evangelism is
my purpose, I found out that most jazz songs anywhere in the
world are songs that I have already produced or sung.
This is different from instrumentals. Jazz music is an already
sung song interpreted in another way by adding some moods,
scales and personal mannerisms. For me, a lot of Christians
love to listen to Jazz but the available ones are worldly.
"I was surprised to know that even in the Kuwait Airline,
my songs are played. I met one Arab (a Muslim) in Texas who
had listened to some of my songs and rated them higher than
Kenny G’s. When he met me, he was ready to buy me a
saxophone worth $1000. He said there is something in the songs
which appeals to him. I said that is the anointing in the
non-vocal productions. I found out that the touch of God comes
not only when you preach, our lives can take people to God.
I have incubated my jazz with the blood of Jesus and anyone
who listens to it would be touched.
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