I don’t smoke ganja-Folashade Lagundoye-Owomoyela

 

I was asked to leave Orlando but  I said  ”No”

 

E jise mi fun Folashade mi ,

A o maaa r’ira peee l’ayo ooo….

Bo ba b’iyin pe  bo ni mo wa o ,

E ma so fun  pe mo wa l’ewon o …..

E ma so pe mo wa  l’Alagbon…..

A mo b’ori bayo mi lowo narcotics..

A o maa rira p’elayo o

Amo sa bi mo ba s’ewon ko t’oju ile fun mi….

Bo ba ri pe mo pe  ko f’elomiran ,

A o maa rira p’elayo oooo

Shaaaaaaade mi oo, Omo Lagundoye

B’ori ba yo mi l’owo narcotics

A o ma rira pe l’ayo oooo…

From MESSAGE album 

 

                To many, Folashade  is synonymous with Orlando Owoh.  Folashade is  the youngest  wife  of  the late Musician, Dr. Orlando Owoh. Known and popular in the Orlando Owoh’s Band and household  yet she does not sing .The mere  mention of Folashade reminds  one the track  in the album, Message  where the late musician sang her praise when he came back from prison .

Die The Matter, Oba Apata and Mulikat Ibidapo are great

 

……..Orlando gave money  to patient on his deathbed

……..I will never  remarry  again

……..Why he was not buried in Ifon

…….We shall be grateful if..

Lovebirds

INTRODUCTION

    ”My name is Mrs. Folashade Lagundoye – Owomoyela. I am from Owo, Ondo State and  one of  the children  of a popular Imam, Lagundoye who died many years ago. My mother died late last year , My late father was a very disciplined Muslim Cleric   in Owo. I thank God for the good family I came from”.

Ekuro la l’abaku ewa

HOW WE CELEBRATE ORLANDO

Folashade said ”We used to celebrate  him every year .We would   invite friends and family members  for his remembrance while we  would  slaughter cow and prepare food. One of  his children , Kemi who lives in America will make sure  she bought  cow  for the occasion. Last year  Tokunbo and Orimipe threw  a party in December , and  while the  party was three days away  my mother died and I had to go to Owo.This year we only marked it  .Folarin , my daughter and some other children of Orlando joined hands together  to  celebrate it. You can see   as  we are frying bean cake (akara) here . We can never  forget  Orlando who  was not only a Musician but a philanthropist. He was a Doctor whose songs heal wounds, cure sickness and bring happiness to all”.

WHY ORLANDO WAS NOT BURIED IN IFON

      On the controversy over  why Orlando  was not buried in his home town, Ifon, she responded  ”Why Orlando was not buried in Ifon? What a question!. It  is a long story. I have decided not to talk about this   but let me   brief you ; We are not the ones who said he should not be buried in Ifon , it is what he has not only  written down but also laid  curse on it that  he should not be taken to Ifon for burial for reasons best known to him”. She continued  ”Whether he was buried in Ifon or Owo or Lagos he has gone, why should we not take him to Ifon to be buried if he instructed us to?. But mark you he had his own reason for that . He knew why he said he should not be buried in Ifon. Now he has been buried and  for the people who  are talking  and criticizing us how many of these people looked back and asked  after our  welfare? .Who remembers us again?. 

”Now  there is no  helper, nothing whatsoever, who asks after the  welfare  of the  children  he left behind?. Don’t you know how old the children were when their father died? ,who asked after them?. Let’s not talk about that. I thank God all the children are doing well in their respective  places”.

I DON’T  SING

Surprisingly Folashade like other wives  don’t sing , she confessed  ”I only followed him anytime he has an event or outing  .There is no hotel he was going to play or any outing he was going that I would not go with him.”

WHY HE SANG MY PRAISE

Orlando   in the Message album where he sang her praise , she said ” Oh, yes , she sang  about me in that album ,he sang E j’ise mi fun Folashade mi , a o ma rira p’elayo o‘ ,Shaaade mi o, Omo Lagundoye....( Deliver my message to Folashade ,we shall meet in peace , if I stayed too long in prison she  should remarry. Shade , daughter of Lagundoye if …). That was when the problem of Alagbon ( when he was charged for drugs)  happened .My senior wives were arrested and taken away  along with him  by the Nigeria Policemen and  I was left alone at home then , and when  he came out he waxed  the record. He composed the song while  in Alagbon  and later recorded it.”

I WAS ADVISED TO LEAVE ORLANDO
According to the Musician’s  beautiful  wife, Folashade ”It was during Orlando’s  trying period that he  composed the song  ” Message” at  Alagbon Police Headquarter in Lagos . When the Police came to arrest him and my senior wives I was the only one that was not taken away , the police advised me  to leave him saying ‘you this beautiful girl what are you doing among these people , you should run away from this man after  taking  him away’ , the policemen advised.   They said after taking him away I should run away from his house and they  queried me why I  married such a man”( she laughed!).

 

WHY I DIDN’T RUN AWAY

Contrary to the advise many people and the Police gave her, she refused to leave Orlando , she said ”I did not run away , I was the only one left at home and I started going to Alagbon Police station , and Kirikiri Maximum Prisons to  the Male’s section (where my husband was ) and Female’s section to meet my senior wives.I was the only one doing that .I would  go with food  and was  doing everything humanly possible . Oh yes!, I was young then but why should I run away from the man I vowed  to love till death do us part?. Why should I run away from my husband who was very nice , humble ,caring and loving?. I am from a very responsible and reliable  home and we don’t do that in our family. We are well brought up and well cultured. Never will I leave Orlando, I am like a pigeon who will die with its benefactor . I  was ready to  die with him, ekuro la labaku ewa ”.

Folashade with  the late Baba Ojomo (former Manager of  Orlando)

I REMEMBER ORLANDO EVERYDAY

Asked how she feels remembering him, she screamed ”How do I feel ? I can never forget him for ever. I have to be remembering him ,it is compulsory , that is my destiny. I have been destined like that and everything is in the hands of God”. I have read many stories that they will build his  statue  at Ifon for him and I am imploring good -spirited Nigerians  and his fans to do this for him”, she said , smiling.

WE  WIVES ARE UNITED

On the secret behind the mutual understanding among the three  surviving wives of the late Musician , Folashade  laughed and  said ”ahhh, what else?. Why should we fight one another?. What do we want to  be fighting over again?. Where is the man we would fight over again?. We should be good and nice  to one another . He is gone , so everybody is facing  where she is going , we should be good to ourselves. We are still living in his house , the three of us live there. If I go out in the morning I will return home , what else again?. Ile la bo simi oko.

I CANNOT REMARRY, NEVER!

When Orlando died , Folashade was still in her 40s  and like her other senior wives, marriage seems to be  a no-go- area for her , as she  said she cannot remarry again. ”Remarry? ( she burst into uncontrollable laughter ) ,what type of husband am I going to marry again?. There is no husband I am going to marry that will be like Orlando. If I come back to this world again I will still marry Orlando. Ko seiye bi okin (sobs). At my age  will I  now say  I wanted to  remarry?. May God send Helper to us , that is what we need now not husband  .We need assistance”.

Orlando ‘spraying’ money on Folashade during her father’s burial ceremony

MY BEST ORLANDO’S MUSIC 

Ask Folashade the song she likes most among all the songs Orlando recorded and hear her reply ”I love the album called  CENSUS [sings], Orlando Ifon ni mo ti wa……”

ORLANDO WAS A BUNDLE OF TALENT

She describes Orlando’s style like this ” He  would  not practice, he  liked sitting down and playing his  guitar . If he planned to wax one record  he would end up doing three records at  a time  in the studio .  He  was a multi-instrumentalist  and  highly talented. He used to  sing in the bathroom .He would  not practice before going to the studio but would just instruct   his band members to go to the studio with him and  would just tell them what to sing. His type is  rare”.

ORLANDO’S CHILDREN SING

Although none of Folashade’s children sings but she is proud of those that sing , she said ”three of  Orlando’s children are singing , Orimipe sings in America, Kunle and Daisi too sing here in Nigeria .  Orimipe is the first born . My daughter does not sing . She had twins  and she is very successful in her career”.

       I WASN’T THREATENED BY  LADIES

For Folashade seeing her husband ,  Orlando in the midst of ladies  at parties  was not a threat , she said ”I was always at ease. I am a socialite  , when he is playing music I would be enjoying myself and dancing to his music . Ladies  who come  to parties have come to spend  their money and I  knew it is their money we were taking home to spend. They cannot take him away from me. I looked  other way and  pretended as if nothing was happening  because  it is the money the ladies were spending for him at the party that we were going to spend at home. If he did not sing and praise them very well how will they spend money for him?. That is the bitter truth”.

Folashade ,paragon of beauty

 ORLANDO WAS A PHILANTHROPIST

Many blamed him that he was reckless in spending but his wife disagreed on that and said ” He was a cheerful giver and he gave without looking back! .Orlando was kind to a fault. Anytime he comes back from play or outing he would wait outside and when everybody had gone to sleep he would wait outside  and be giving people money , until he finished the money he brought home before he goes to bed. If we fight him over the issue he would ask whether it is our money” .

She continued ”If he sees anybody going on the road he would  send for him , go inside and give them clothes and shoes. One  day he  gave a man  an expensive wristwatch  he brought from America, we all lost our temper but he asked us whether it was our own wrist watch . Many would come to him with their personal problems saying their children were sick, some would beg him for  their children’s school fees  and he would go inside and give them money. Whenever he comes back from  America he would share his dollars with people   and warned them not to tell anybody that he gave them money. If any Owo indigenes  comes  to Lagos and had nowhere to stay they will  locate  Orlando’s  house to stay, he  would harbor them and assist them.That is Orlando for you”.

HOW WE  ARE  NOW SURVIVING

   For the wives of Orlando times are hard since their benefactor and husband had died .However, Folashade blamed the Music  promoters who refused to pay them , she said ”the promoters with master tapes have not given us a dime for the past five years . If you ask the promoters  of Orlando’s records they will say it  is piracy that caused it and one needs money  to go to Court. How do we maintain ourselves?. Imagine we have to hustle before paying  electricity bill, we have to renovate the house,  take care of many things. Sincerely speaking we need help, that is the fact”.

Love wantintin

DIE THE MATTER, OBA APATA & MULIKAT IBIDAPO

”What of Orlando’s friends?”. She replied ”I don’t know most of his friends , however they are  annoyed that he was not buried in Ifon. God is my living witness when I did my mother’s burial ceremony Die The Matter gave me money, Oba Francis  Apata  of Ipe gave me money, so with many people .Some of my friends like Chief  Mulikat Ibidapo asked what she would give me  and  I told her to give me money and  attend the burial ceremony  , she gave me money and also came from America  to attend and also  her husband  Chief  Rotimi Ibidapo ( Bassey) gave me money too”.

GANJA

Asked whether she smokes  ganja  like her late husband, she like her senior wives denied ,”we don’t smoke”  , she said , bursting into laughter.

 ON HIS SICK BED ORLANDO INSTRUCTED ME TO …

The late Musician was kind to a fault , even on his hospital bed  he  still assisted the needy , Folashade  described the scene : ”I was with him at his bedside and there was  a patient  in his room who had no money to buy his prescription drugs  ,  Orlando instructed me to give him money  to buy the drugs. They bought the drugs for him unfortunately the man still  died”.

HOW I MET ORLANDO

On how the two lovebirds met, Folashade   said ”It all started in 1982 . One good day me and my friends  were coming from an outing  and  we  decided to  stop   at Travelers Inn by the Mobil Station in Owo to catch fun   there we saw    Orlando  entertaining with    music. The following day I saw Mrs. Abegunde (aka  Madam Red) of blessed memory  who brought Orlando to my house .I was wondering that we only went   there [Travelers Inn)  to enjoy ourselves but not to meet anybody  but that is how God wanted it . And the rest became history”.

WE STARTED DATING

But did  Folashade  go to Lagos with him? , she said ”No, I didn’t go with him to Lagos immediately, I went to Lagos later to meet him. You  know how men are, we started dating and that is it .But mark you , I have been going to Lagos before  meeting Orlando , he was not the one that made me know Lagos o”( laughs).

Folashade , the beautiful woman

MY FAMILY’S REACTION

On her family’s reaction on Orlando’s proposal to her, she said”My family? , they would not like their daughter to  marry a musician . I am a daughter of  a very popular  Imam Olagundoye in Owo but  my father was that  type that would not dictate, impose or force anything on his children, he would instead  support you on whatever you wanted to do. In the end I thank God that I have no regret marrying him”

MY PRAYER

Folashade has a prayer ”I am appealing to all lovers of Orlando to build a statue like Bob Marley in Jamaica, Elvis Presley in Memphis and Michael Jackson in his birthplace. It will be a great honour for him.We need your assistance too”.

 

Author: Taiwo Abiodun

I am a blogger . taiwoabiodun.com and TAIWOABIODUN.BLOGSPOT.COM

390 thoughts on “I don’t smoke ganja-Folashade Lagundoye-Owomoyela”

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