By Charles Okogene
One of his most popular recorded songs is Eko O Gba Gbere. It was either in the late 1960s or early 1970s, this writer is not so sure but what I recall is that it was popular among the highlife music lovers of that decade.
And in the 1990s the masked one, Lagbaja, brought the song to life again when he did a reharsh of the song. Anyway, it is not clear if Pa. Ajilo was paid a dime by Lagbaja for using his original old work . Well, that is not the crux of this story, our interest is in the contribution of this old man, who just passed on, to the entertainment industry.
Ajilo, was huge like the likes of Bobby Benson, Olaiya among others.
After leading a band, contributing to the entertainment scene, Pa. aijlo retired to the then Polygram now Premier Music as it’s A&R manager. That was after Dean Disi Okoro left. At Premier he met the likes of Chief Osita Osadebe and was Osita’s producer of songs or albums like Makojo, Osondi Owendi, which were big hits and ruled Nigeria’s highlife music scene and still ruling.
Ajilo left Premier records to join Chief Tony Okoroji on his copyright crusade when the latter left Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), as Ptesodent in the 1990s, to float Performing Rights Society (PMRS),as it’s pioneer General Manager before PMRS turned to Copyright Sociey of Nigeria (COSON) that everybody wants a slice of it.
From COSON, Pa.Ajilo retired to his Ijebu-Ijesha country home and lived to the grand age of 91 before death came calling on Saturday, February 20,2021.
Pa. Ajilo, you came, you saw and you conquered.
Sleep so tight.!
