Jimi Solanke:Ogun Celebrating A Storyteller Extraordinaire
By Bimbo Esho
The government and people of Ogun State will, Saturday next week, roll out the drums to celebrate one of its own; a storyteller extraordinaire and a cultural icon, Pa Jimi Solanke.
I always feel elated and privileged when celebrating icons of high repute, particularly those who have reached lofty heights as they gracefully ripen in age.
The Gateway State (as Ogun State is popularly called) is blessed with several icons, famous great men and women of prestigious repute and high standing who have recorded lofty exploits in Nigeria and beyond our shores.
If I reel out names of music icons from Ogun State, their achievements would intimidate many from outside the state.
Little wonder the museum section of the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta is filled with bursts of prominent men and women who have contributed immensely to the economy, using various sectors, ranging from music, education, sport, politics and religion, among others.
To the indigenous people of Ogun State, attaining such heights is their way of life, their tradition and culture. Every morning, they wake up to the clarion call, “Omo Ogun, Ise Ya”, on the airwaves.
For decades now, one of Ogun State living musical treasure, Pa Jimi Solanke, has creatively regaled all of us with the consistent hardwork of his creative enterprises.
He tells our children and grandchildren stories and entertains the adults with his didactic historical, sometimes hilarious folk songs.
As a thespian on stage, his masterful and dexterous stagecraft is globally acknowledged.
Baba Agba, as Solanke is fondly called, has found a new commitment through his establishment of Ibudo Asa Raining and Tourist Centre in Ipara Remo, his hometown. A worthy venture to emulate and support.
My admiration for Baba Agba as a man of many talents and global laudation is boundless and I have no hesitation but to celebrate a man with rich thrilling odyssey.
The play must go on Baba Agba, one of the greatest gifts Ogun State bestowed upon the world.
•Miss Esho is the Managing Director, Evergreen Music Company, Surulere, Lagos.
