Showkey said no armed robbers in Lagos can rob him
because they respect him too much. He said he's
encountered many of them on the streets, but they
immediately let him go and even apologize when they
recognize him. See below...
You were said to have been attacked by those alleged
to be gunmen in your Lagos home shortly after you
returned, could you tell us what happened?
Yes, they were assassins. They came to my house and
killed one of my boys. Thank God I was lucky. Those
guys were not armed robbers because in Nigeria today,
no armed robbers can come to my house. It can never
happen.
Why?
I grew up in the street of Ajegunle. I have always been a
street boy. Armed robbers can never rob me. I have met
a lot of them on the streets of Lagos several times and
they will tell me Showkey Baba, we didn't know it was
you. Please, no vex, dey go. That respect is always there.
Armed robbers respect you? Do you have any
connection with them?
That is a story for another day, Mr reporter.
So who were the people that came to my house?
The people that came to my house saw my son and
asked him about my whereabouts, he said I was not
around. My son went back inside and told one of my
boys to go and attend to the guys at the gate, when he
got there, they thought he was my bodyguard, so they
shot him. They were inside my house for hours and they
did not take anything away. Armed robber won't come
to my house and start asking of Showkey, they will face
what they have come for and leave. But these guys were
asking for me and when they didn't see me, they left. I
am sad because they killed one of my boys.
You were said to have been shot few months after that
incident at your house, is that true?
Yes. I was shot inside a filling station in Lagos.
Why would anybody want to kill you?
I don't know. I can't even explain what could be
responsible for that but I thank God that I have overcome
that now.
Before you had that accident that kept you out of active
music for almost ten years, the impression people had
about you was that you had reached the eclipse of your
career. Many people did not even know you had an
accident until you came back. What do you have to say?
First of all, let me thank God that I am back again.
Because If I had died before, during or after the accident,
this interview will never happen. Talking about my career
before the accident, you will agree with me that I have
come a long way in the music industry. Myself and other
old generation musicians set the ground rolling for
today's musicians and I am proud to say that.
But you will agree that at some point, Showkey's name
was not as pronounced as it used to be?
You can't remain on top of your game for the rest of your
life. There will be a moment when you will be forced to
take the back seat and observe things, but that does not
mean you are no more relevant or music has nothing to
do with you again. The mistake most people make is that
when they don't see or hear about you, they quickly
conclude that your life in music is over. I am not surprised
that people didn't know that I had an accident because I
didn't come out to tell Nigerians that I am down ooo,
please help me.
Why? Are you saying that because you have the
wherewithal to handle your predicament?
It is not about having the resources to handle my
problem, it is more of my decision not to bother people
with my problem. Why should I disturb them in the first
place? Because they are my fans does not mean they
should know about every step I take about my life. I
asked myself one question which was, would Nigerians
not have known if I was arrested for drugs or something
capable of tarnishing my image?.
It seems you are sad that despite your popularity,
Nigerians did not know that Daddy Showkey had a life-
threatening accident...
No. I am not feeling any sadness in my heart. I am even
happy right now. I can't be happier. I am not bothered
whether they know or they don't. What matters to me is
that I was able to handle my predicament through the
help of God and some people who God used to help me.
I am grateful to these people and I wish them well in all
they do. They are my people now and they are my
friends.
You have new friends now?
I didn't say I have new friends. What I am saying is that I
have learnt new lesson about life and I now know what
friendship is about.
So none of your friends in the music industry came to the
hospital to look after you?
The fact is that how many of them knew that I had an
accident? How many of them knew which hospital I was
admitted to?. It was not the matter of who was there or
not, it was the matter of how I was able to handle my
situation and managed everything very well. Another
thing is that even those who would have come didn't
come because of one reason or the other but I am not
bothered about that. Life goes on my brother. You live to
learn and you learn to live. When on my sick bed, I read
a report about my accident published by one national
newspaper in Nigeria, I wept. I wept because that was
the only newspaper that reported it.
What single lesson did that experience teach you?
Not a single one but many lessons but the chief of them is
caution. I have learnt how to approach life with extreme
caution. You know why? If Showkey had died in that
accident, I am sure that by now people would have
forgotten about me. Perhaps when they listen to any of
my songs, they may feel like ouch! that was Showkey's
song. We missed him so much. The bitter truth is that life
goes on.
What was running on your mind when you were on that
bed? Did you at any point remember music and your
dreams which could have gone unfulfilled?
How do I start to describe the experience to you? It was a
very bad one but I thank God that I am lucky. The only
question on my mind was will I be able to walk again? I
was so particular about that question that my doctors
would tell me, Mr man you will walk again. The doctors
told me I would not have been able to work again if I
had delayed the operation for few more weeks. I still
don't believe I am walking again because what I saw in
the hospital gave me a different impression about life
and I am grateful to God.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
No comments:
Post a Comment