It was exactly 13 years ago last Saturday, December 16 2023, that Fuji creator, the late Alhaji Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister died in a London hospital. The late Ayinde Barrister died at 62, leaving a huge gap for others to fill. He was lucky to have waxed several evergreen songs that today remained the soothing balm for all his fans from across the world.
The late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was no ordinary musician. He was a genius whose music travelled far and near and even beyond. The son of Agbajelola from Ayeye in Ibadan, succeeded in keeping his voice in the homes of all his numerous fans with his evergreen songs. He was also prophetic with his Fuji music, showing the way his brand of music could impact the lives of many in the most amazing manner.
Until his death 13 years ago, the Fuji music legend ruled the world like a colossus. The late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was very energetic and was always at the driver’s seat controlling that genre of music with unequal passion and experiences.
In the world of Fuji music, the late Barrister was greatly admired and respected as a visionary leader. He was a man that came ahead of his time. His contributions to Fuji music was unparalleled. The late Dr.Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was bestowed with the prestigious honour of Member of the Federal Republic(MFR), a big reward for his exemplary success in the music industry.
His sterling quality was unrivaled. It is no surprise that nobody has been able to match his achievements in terms of quality Fuji music that have earned many of the stars fame and wealth.
Barrister was Fuji music aficionado, whose songs were evergreen. He was a cleric that spread the gospel of Islam through his music. He also created a unique selling point for his brand of music and his rendition and style was very unique to many of his admirers.
Barrister’s music was entertaining and there was a strong and deep synergy between the sound of the song and the drums. Whenever you saw him play, you got easily excited that there was no dull moment for you as you listen to his deliverance of topnotch music. To tell you that the late Barrister was a gift to the music world, he was a stammerer, but very articulate and generous with words and vocabularies that perfectly described his subject.
Through his music, the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister sang about every aspect of life. He touched marriage, wealth, poverty, governance, health, old age and death among others.
As the Fuji creator, the late Barrister was very blunt about his message. He was adept in navigating the Fuji music world. Like his popular stage name -Barry Wonder, he created the wonders in abundance. One of his albums was titled, “The truth,” where he spoke about current affairs, the Nigerian politics and the politicians’ quest for power.
His type of music was very deep and inspiring. Very tacit, educating, philosophical, political, interesting and very pleasant to the soul. It is interesting though that the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister is no more, his Fuji music still reverberates at every nook and cranny of the country.
Even many of the Fuji musicians that are alive today do not enjoy the patronages the late Barrister has been enjoying in death. It was just more evident than when he was alive. No wonder he had earlier predicted that people would and won’t stop talking about him after he might have left the stage and departed the world. And now that he is gone, his music and works of arts will surely for a very long time be a point of references for the fans and the next generation of music lovers.
The late Dr.Sikiru Ayinde Barrister had done his best to keep the hope of Fuji music alive and that genre of music had also become the envy of all local music genres like Sakara, Apala, Awurebe, Juju and a few others. The late Fuji creator had made an indelible mark that many of the Fuji music stars today must learn from his creativity.
They should move out of their comfort zone and think outside the box. They should look beyond today and produce more evergreen songs that can stand the test of time and also outlive them like the late Fuji creator. They should learn about the late Barrister’s natural ingenuity and versatility of the Fuji music and the quality of his language as well as the depth of his rare thoughts as a global musician.
What exactly did we miss in the late Fuji creator? We missed all his great and outstanding qualities that really stood him out. We missed his honest approach to issues. We also missed his consistency, style and generosity. We missed his courage in delivering his messages. We also missed his ability to speak truth to power.
In his life, the late Fuji legend was a social commentator, a vocal, radical musician. He fought many battles with those at the corridor of power and he was always on the side of the mass of the people. The late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was truly the man of the people and he used his music to preach against corruption, oppression and looting of public funds.
He was very bold and intelligent. He was a creative composer, revered for his dexterity. His kind of music was well coordinated and widely accepted by all. He understood the intricacies of Fuji music and he controlled the beats of his songs regularly. Barrister was a generous giver, he never believed in being too extravagant with wealth or material things.
It is interesting to note that shortly after his death, many of his fans brought him back to life by creating various organizations to celebrate and immortalize him. They decided to honour their music legend in a very special way. Today, there are over 50 groups and organizations that celebrate the late Fuji creator.
They are; Chief Dr Sikiru Ayinde Fans Club; The Ayinde Barrister Legacy Club; Barry Wonder Fans Club; Sikiru Ayinde Barrister Global Organisation (USA); The Barrybrator Worldwide; The Barrister Fans Club, Oludasile and Fuji Music Creator Ambassador Group; Barry Wonder Lives On; Mr Fuji Fans Club Worldwide; Barry 4ever Best Fuji Song; Fuji Originator Group, The Barrister Entertainment Forum; Mr Fuji Official; Barry Black Votary Club and Barry Die Hard Fans.
Apart from these organizations, my big brother and publisher of the Tabloid.net who currently serves as Special Assistant on Community
Communication to Osun State Governor, state governor, Mr.Tunde Busari and a few other writers like Mr.Tade Asifat have written a lot about the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.
To tell you how big the Barrister family is, Mr. Busari also authored a book on the late Fuji music legend which was titled “My journey with Barry Wonder”. It was an expository book of history and literature. The book gave insights into the life and times, arts and crafts of the Fuji music creator, the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. It was a book that captured the essence of the late Barrister’s entire life, including his style, preference, philosophy, beliefs, conviction, courage and the totality of his being.
The book, though not the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister’s biography, it was a complete reference material that gives truthful insights, specific and adequate information about the enigmatic Fuji maestro.
Finally, many books are still coming up to tell the Barrister story to the world and the next generation of Nigerians who adore the late Fuji creator as their Icon.
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For me, the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister’s death is not in vain. One important lesson we must learn from his life is that if a musician could be this much celebrated over a decade after his demise as the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was being honoured and celebrated posthumously, that truly shows why it is very important for those of us that are still alive to do our very best in our different fields and callings to make sure that we also bestow unto others a legacy that would outlive us.
Kehinde Aderemi writes from Lagos
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