What Sonny Okosun told me before he died is the focus of this exclusive interview Faith Onokhua, a musician, granted OpenLife Nigeria as part of the 13th anniversary of late Sonny Okosun who was best known as the leader of the Ozzidi band, named after a renowned Ijaw river god. Okosun died at 61 on 24 May 2008 at Howard University Hospital, Washington DC. His musical styles included reggae, highlife, Afro-funk, and gospel, among others
How are you related to the late Sonny Okosun who died 13 years ago?
Not biological father, he’s like an adopted father to me, I lived with him and I worked with him as his backup singer in Ozziddi band. He called me his daughter and I called him father till death
You are involved in music promoting the late Sonny Okosun. Why are you keeping his memory alive?
I am keeping his memory alive because he asked me to.
I still remember few days before he flew back to America, he said to me ‘Do you know I’m going back to America in two days time?’ And I said yes, because of so many check-up after the operation.
He then said follow me and I followed him to his studio where he’s buried.
That was where he asked me to promise him that this mantle will not drop and I started crying.
He asked me to stop and he prayed for me and gave me Psalm 23 and said ‘This will guide your life.’
I knew there was a transfer of grace which I can’t be talking about here.
Oh my God! Tears are running down my eyes as I’m saying this.
I don’t think it was even up to three weeks he went back to America that he died.
So, I own it as a responsibility to pass his messages and legacies to other generations.
I’m just trying to do his last wish which he mandated me to keep up with the music.
How did you meet him?
I first had a dream about him singing on stage and I was backing him up.
I told my brother and one of my cousins.
They were laughing and calling me Josephine the dreamer. I was very young and was not doing music professionally.
As of that time, I had neither known Lagos nor met with him.
Years later, I moved to Lagos for the usual search for greener pastures.
I met a friend of mine that asked me to accompany her to a saloon and it happened to be a Sunkech Saloon owed by Sonny Okosun’s late wife.
After the hair do, I went inside the compound and I met him sitting in the compound and I greeted him. He responded as if I had been with him for years.
He asked me if I sing. I told him yes that I sing and I love music but I’m not doing it professionally.
He said you are free to come around at anytime.
From there, I became a friend and member of the family. When he opened his church, I became a chorister in his church from there he trained me professionally to work with the Ozziddi Band as a back up singer.
I worked with him till he died.
Point out three fantastic things about him?
He was a father, a mentor and a leader to all that came around him.
What are your musical or entertainment goals?
My musical goals are to continue with the legacies of Sonny Okosun as a father and a mentor. I also want to impact my generation with my songs and messages
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