By Charles Okogene
The bubble is about to burst in the home of the late reggae musician, Ras Kimono, concerning his foundation and Estate.
Those in the know told Newdawn that one of his long standing pal, Gideon Nwaomu, who was instrumental to the few occasions he performed in Delta State, his state where his remains were committed to mother earth last year, had come up with the idea of a concert in Asaba to mark the one year anniversary of the passing away of the reggae giant; and also proposed that his musical band, Massive Dread, which he left behind, should be the backing band of all stars that will feature in the concert.
Preparations, our source said, was in progress, when out of the blues, the band made a U-turn and slammed a N1.6million appearance fees on Nwaomu as logistics.
A surprised Nwaomu was said to have told the band members that he cannot afford such an amount for them to perform in a non-fee paying show in memory of departed owner of the band.
However, after days of negotiations, Nwaomu agreed to pay half a million naira, take care of their accommodation for the number of days they will stay in Asaba.
It was then that an insider squealed to Nwaomu that the idea to charge him N1.6 million was that of Oge (who felt that he (Nwaomu) will not pay) so that the band can have a reason to perform in a similar concert she is planning to hold in Lagos in conjunction with Dede Mabiaku. Same thing happened when the remains of Kimono was to be taken to Onicha Olona, his hometown, in Delta State, for burial. Oge, whom sources said was not in talking terms with her father before he died, had produced a letter alleging that three days before her father’s death that he phoned telling her to take note that he should be interred anywhere he died.
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That it took the intervention of Kimono’s cousin, Augustin Afam Ugah, who insisted that, that Kimono’s wish will not be respected before Oge, whose mother hails from Akwa Ibom, was taken home for the colourful burial for her (Oge) to confess that she forged the letter, That his father never said so, but by then, most Kimono’s friends who had believed Oge, did not attend the burial. Our source also said that Sybil’s children for Kimono especially, the first child, who are with her in America could not make the burial because certain travel document they needed were denied them.
Aside the memorial concert, preparations are said to be at an advanced stage to launch the Ras Kimono Foundation that will organise a yearly talent hunt for upcoming reggae starlets in line with the wish of the reggae star before he kicked the bucket but the shenanigans behaviour of Oge who has been ejected from the Magodo residence of Kimono by the landlord and who has also lost the custody of the little Dinma, the girl Kimono and his late live-in-lover, Efe, left behind, to her maternal relations due to what sources called Oge’s inability to take care of the little angel.
Attempts to get Sybil, who is now based in America and Mr. Ugah to talk to us on the issues were not positive as at the time of going to press.
