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
Shaaa
aaaade 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”.