At what point in your life would you say gospel music appealed to you
I'm born and bred native of Odo-Owa in Oke-ero local government of Kwara State , record shows that my mum gave birth to me at Ilorin Welfare Centre Ilorin, on the 17th day of July 1950.

Like some other musicians I started singing in the choir when I was a pupil at E.C.W.A. Primary School Omu-Aran 1962-1963, I was very religious but not born again. one of our teacher by name J.J. Ikushika was attracted by my voice and sported me on the line, I was the school drummer boy then, resting the drum on my chest with the drum belt hanged on my neck, I continue playing and singing marching on to my classroom that morning, when the assembly was over, Mr. Ikushika ordered me to see him immediately in his office after closing. I thought may be he found me guilty of something, so I was scared. But on arriving his office that afternoon, he enrolled me into the missions school choir.

Although I'm C.A.C. by denomination but I have no objection than to obey my teacher: after my conversion in 1969 at Christ Apostolic Church Oke-Igbala Garika Jebba I commenced full time singing ministry and founded Sola Rotimi & The Tripe S; meaning;  Sola Rotimi & The Saved to Serve Singers in 1972.

In the year 1973 I recorded my first works for Radio E.L.W.A. Igbaja now in Kwara State. I was asked by the corporation to sign an undertaking having my permission to play my song on their radio station, initially I objected, I told the engineer it is the gift of God in my life, the station is free to play my song for free and that there is nothing binding the radio station airing my works I said, but the white lady who recorded me insisted and said if I sign this document I shall be eligible to royalty as the corporation will put my works on vinyl record in the nearest future.

When I understood that my works shall be released on vinyl record and I shall be eligible for royalty, I quickly sealed up the deal. Not quite long, the Radio Station commenced playing my songs on their 25 meter band frequency in Nigeria and to some other neighbouring country. Some of the songs were Ara Ile Ero Ona Wa Gba Jesu Gbo, Wa S'odo Jesu, Tete Lepa Ijoba Olorun, Ade Mimo Mbe Loke etc. along side with late Henry Jackson, Takete Isao Choir led by Late Macaulay Balogun, Pastor Enoch, Obadiah, and Furugbin Igbagbo, Jesu L'Oba Mi by some other artistes.

I later compiled selections of my songs from the works with radio E.L.W.A. and release it on LP in 1976 on KONE records label then in Ojo Ibadan. The album was titled: Ao Mu Okan Ao F'Okan Si ‘le. Before then I had earlier recorded Tete Wa Gba Ijoba Re with my band in April the same year.

America also need prayers on issue of immorality. A preacher who was grieved over what is going on in America said if God will not destroy America with this level of immoralities, He (God) should apologise to Sodom and Gomorrah. The good news is that God does not think like human beings. He is still stretching His hands of fellowship to us that we should repent and amend our ways. He is a merciful God who will forgive, heal our land and also fix our problems. Righteousness exalts a nation.

Would you say the music led you to become a full-time minister of God or the call to ministry came on its own?
The ministry came first, then Lord called me into the music ministry after my conversion in 1969. I have great burden and passion burning in me for souls after my conversion. I prayed to God to use me for His glory and my prayer was granted as God gave me the gift of discerning spirit, and the gift to minister the word with boldness in all the Muslim quarters at the place called Gungu. At that time, there was no persecution against me initially, may be because I was very young then. But it later set in.

 I began preaching as an evangelist going to villages around Jebba, places like Mokwa, Babanloma, Bacita, Share, Pategi and to some villages also in the then Western region before going into full time singing ministry in 1972.

Besides my assembly, Christ Apostolic Church No 1 CAC Convention Camp Ground Idimu, where I pastor after my ordination at Christ Apostolic Church Theological Seminary in April 1989, I still go to preach and sing in other church denominations, sometimes at crusades or revival ground by invitation. My calling is both pulpit and field Evangelism. Some don't know me to be a preacher but those who know do invite me to minister both in songs and in the word.

Since you left Nigeria for the US, do you keep track of the gospel music scene back home? How do you compare the terrain in America where you live and back home?
I left Nigeria for the US in April 2004, reason has to do with my vocation. Since  my exit from Nigeria I continue to follow the trend in the Gospel scene, Christendom and Nigerian politics.

The gospel music terrain is been plagued by the perils of the end times. The real gospel is diminishing gradually. The love of gospel has waxed cold as some singers are out for fame, money, position of honour. They want to please men by trying as much as possible to avoid talking about sin. Their majors are blessings, healing and raining curses upon enemies. They have forgotten that if we preach the real gospel of salvation, money and all other good things shall follow. Even our enemies, God shall make an open show of them and shall take away the wicked ones who refuse to repent.
The gospel scene in America could not be compared with Nigeria in many ways. Many people hold unto freedom to do what ever they like, and which sometimes lead to enmity with God. For example, you could practice gay and they shall be joined together as husband and wife. Lesbians also could live together as husband and wife, and many other things time will not permit me to mention. These are abominable things unto God.

How much of evangelism is done in our current gospel music all over the world? How much of Jesus is left in them?
To be candid we still have a long way to go. Many are yet to be reached with the gospel of Christ through gospel music and in preaching the word, even among our relatives and friends back home. The quality of the message is been compromised, so sinners could not see much difference between them and the ministers of the word. We need to go back to the bible and preach the real gospel of salvation, then shall the task of the Great Commission be accomplished. Some preach only one side of the coin, we need to balance the two, it must be Salvation first, then followed by all the spiritual and physical blessings.

What is the state of your old albums back home? What do you plan to do with them to make them relevant to the present generation all over the world?
Only few of my works are in the market now. I'm working to put the works on VCD/DVD to make it relevant to the present generation, we still have many of the album yet to be converted to CD we are believing God for the breakthrough, we are able to put four out of the twenty six album on CD ; Father Bless My Home, Lusifa Nd'Ode, Odi Jeriko-One God, Emi Yio Bori Isoro excluding the latest work titled: From Minimum to the Maximum which was released on CD.

Having stayed in the US for sometimes now, what differences have you seen in the ways and manners of ministry between Nigeria/Africa and the Western world?
There are a lot of deference's between both. The Western World are well organised and excels in church administration than their counterpart in Nigeria and in Africa, at least for now, Nigeria and the rest of Africa excel in the area of rural evangelism, giving time to much prayer and fasting than their counterpart in the Western World.
In addition, our way of worship too are some times different. Nigerians are the most happiest people on the surface of the planet earth when it comes to serving God. Despite all the challenges we still honour and reverence God, worship Him, believing He will surely get us there someday no matter the situation. it wasn't so in many part of the Western world, any little challenges to them it's like the end of the world has come; I was listening and watching the news last year, 2009 when a man agreed with his wife to kill their children and eliminate the family because of recession in the land, and before we knew it, the man carried out this wicked assignment and the whole house perished without remedy.
Another incident happened that a man took a gun and killed more than ten wounded many because he was upset. There are some other horrible instances time will not permit me to mention, we can not rule out the fact that such a thing can not happen in Africa but we can not compare it with the situation in the Western World.

Do we have the same understanding and attitude to spiritual issues like family warfare, curses, time and season, opportunities?
We share the same view and understanding but in some areas I want to say no, because when it comes to curses or diabolical means, some of the Americans are of the opinion that, if you work, you shall earn the dollars, so where is poverty coming from. The African believed that someone with diabolical means could place a plague or poverty on you, or even sickness and misfortune etc and if you believe and take it to God in prayers you shall be  set free. Some Americans do not believe in miracle, in Africa we believe there are house-hold enemies like, Ogbanje, familiar spirit etc; to some in the Western World it's like, what is he talking about, all these things does not exist.

The gospel music terrain is been plagued by the perils of the end times. The real gospel is diminishing gradually. The love of gospel has waxed cold as some ministers are out there for fame, money, position of honour, want to please men, they try as much as possible to avoid talking much about sin. Their majors are blessings, healing and raining curses upon enemies. They have forgotten that if we preach the real gospel of salvation, money and all other good things shall follow, even our enemies. God shall make open show of them and shall take away the wicked ones who refuse to repent.

Do we have the same prayer patterns or prayer points? Vigils? Do you see them as less religious/Christians than we do here?
We do have same prayer pattern on some certain issues that has to do with domestic and same prayer point too on some spiritual matters, concerning vigil; Africans has the longest time to tarry before the Lord than our counterpart in the Western World, most of the time from ten o'clock or twelve midnight to five am the following morning, the Americans will ask us what are you guys doing for so long period, you mean people will stay doing what? And so many other question they asked wondering what we are doing till the middle of the night. Nigerians are also more aggressive in praying especially when it comes to the issue of sudden death, witches and wizard diabolical means, etc. We are used to shouting on top of our voices, jumping, clapping etc. American Christians are more emotional than we do, they pray in the mind silently, a little bit loud, few of them pray loud too especially the black Americans. From experience I can say that Africans are more religious than the American Christians, but only God knows those that serves Him in spirit and in truth, and His own also knows Him.

Living in a politically advanced environment, how do you assess our politically challenges? Economic woes and moral decadence?
We still have a long way to go when it comes to democracy in Nigeria. We are yet to get there, America is over two hundred years of independent, if America is doing well today we can also get there, we are going to be fifty in October this year, wrong people in the leadership of our failed nations system  can be attributed to our internal decadence, I know when we start electing the right people into the position of leadership in our country, things would begin to change for better, all what we need is to have the right people in the right place, and this at the right time, and with prayer God helping us; we shall get there too.  
America also needs prayers on issue of immorality. A preacher who was grieved over what is going on in the land said if God did not destroy America with this level of immoralities, He (God) should apologise to Sodom and Gomorrah.
The good news is that God does not think like human beings. He is still stretching His hands of fellowship to us that we should repent and amend our ways. He is a merciful God who will forgive, heal our land and also fix our problems. Righteousness exalts a nation.                       
         
What is the level of Church participation in community development compared to ours back home?
Some Churches in America are doing well in community development than the churches in Nigeria and in Africa, they are doing pretty good in their services to the community because some of these churches if discovered by their city (Local Government) has an access taking government grant and this is helping them to continue the service and expanding to other areas; most Nigerian churches are on their own doing community service with no grant from their city (Local Government)   

Compare the treatment given to gospel musicians invited to sing in their Churches with what obtains back home?
The same treatment is given to the invited artist by the churches in America just  like what we have back home in Nigeria. They appreciates and get excited having the musicians, some of the churches has a very high standard hospitality towards the invited musicians and some doesn't, probably because of the financial situation of their church or something else. 

In the past few years, what lessons have you learnt in gospel musicianship which you want to correct amongst musicians back home? What lessons have you also learnt which you will want to avoid if you have a second chance to live as a musician?
I wish to advise some of my comrade back home to refrain from singing abusive song that sounds like railing curses on the sinners which they intend to convert to Christ; and their message of song also should be seasoned with words of grace and peace, capable of bringing sinners unto true repentance, also, singing praises of men in other to exploit them is not acceptable, only God alone is worthy to be praise forever.  I also want to say that I don't believe in reincarnation, I know for sure I can not come back to this world as a musician any more, “It is appointed or given unto man to die only once after this the judgement” but peradventure  I return, I will try as much as possible to avoid procrastination and shall always get tuned to God's frequency as this will enable me to know and understand God's perfect will for my life,  I will also love to spend my life in Russia and across the Muslim world to proclaim the message of Christ in song and in the word, because I came of the knowledge that: (1) majority in this part of Russian world are atheist they denied the existence of the true God (11) the Muslims never accept through their faith that Jesus is the only way to heaven, which Jesus was, the Saviour of the world and the only soon coming King. The truth is that Jesus is the only way to heaven; for we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth.           

What lessons can the African Christians learn from their American Christians?
African Christians are to emulate their American counterpart on time management, sound administrative set up, the art of giving generously to the work of the ministry, and setting up of food Pantry, a ministry to the less privilege and the homeless, which I perceive that only few churches are practising this method in Nigeria now.

The craze of Nigerian/African preachers running to the US to preach is it for economic gains or they are really impacting on the lives of Americans? Do Americans really need African preachers?
I knew few men of God that are here to impart on the lives of the Americans, the true gospel message is diminishing very fast, not only in America, the scripture says there are many doing the work of the ministry because of their belly (Philippians 3:19, 1 st Timothy 6:1-10.) Jesus said the harvest is plenteous but the labourers are few, only few preachers  are left in America preaching the real gospel of Christ,  some of our preachers that came were sincere to impart true gospel on the lives of  people in this land, although the general opinion of many Americans is like, what are these preachers trying to do, the western world brought the gospel to you guys : but truly speaking, the real gospel is diminishing gradually from this part of the world. Americans really need prayers and preachers. Even some faithful ministers from Africa should come and give them the true gospel of light. Americans need to return to God. The idea of banning prayer from the schools, legalising same sex marriage and abortion, replacing happy holiday for Merry Christmas during Christmas celebration, remove 'In God We Trust from their currency, all these and many others under the pretence of freedom of expression is lowering the standard of the real gospel of Jesus Christ. This calls for true evangelism in this part of the world.
I cannot also rule out the fact that some might come for economic gains. God who knows and sees the heart of men and recognises the true preachers and the true worshiper; shall surely bring all defaulters into judgement.

... truly speaking, the real gospel is diminishing gradually from this part of the world. Americans really need prayers and preachers. Even some faithful ministers from Africa should come and give them the true gospel of light. Americans need to return to God. The idea of banning prayer from the schools, legalising same sex marriage and abortion, replacing happy holiday for Merry Christmas during Christmas celebration, remove 'In God We Trust from their currency, all these and many others  under the pretence of freedom of expression is lowering the standard of the real gospel of Jesus Christ. This calls for true evangelism in this part of the world.

In retrospect, do you wish you would have moved to the US long ago? Do you think you would have been more successful if you have moved much earlier?
The answer is no, the message of the gospel which I preach is not for material gains, The bible says, Jesus said, Go Ye into the world and preach the Gospel to all creature teach them and baptising them in the name of the father and son and the Holy Spirit, we also need to nurture them to grow into maturity and become soul winners; God has His own timing and plan for all His children I want to belief for this reason I'm in the US at this time to fulfil the Great Commission just as I have minister in Nigeria and few other countries of the world, as the scripture says; all things works together for good to them that believed, also I was able to take care of my wounds too.

Is the United States really a place for opportunities that people should migrate to? How will you advise Nigerians, old and young who still indulge in the American dream?
To some people I say yes, America could be a place of opportunity for them to be, especially the youth that wish to study and return. I may also wish to stay if commanded by God and has legal ground to stay, why not.
If not, I strongly  advised those who wish to migrate to give it a second thought; you may visit on vacation for sight seeing or for shopping and to study if you have the chance, otherwise, It is better to stay back home, God is able to bless any one at any place under the sun in this universe. I have been to all the continents of the world and found that Nigeria is the best place to be, only what we need is for God to give us the right people in the place of authority to transform our nation, we have all it takes to be great than many other nations on this planet.

Any message for your fans at home? Any new year message?
To all my fans, I wish you the best of life, none of you shall die before the time of your celebration; every pillar of delay on the way to your breakthroughs is banished completely, you shall all live to fulfil your destiny, and remember hell is real, it's not a place you go for weekend and return, God is saying please! Don't go to hell.