- I first played on the organ in a church service at age 13 – Demola Suzi
– Steve Ovirih.
On our online TV platform, the polity roundtable, we engaged the young talented maestro, Sir Demola Suzi in an interview ; the youngest knight in the Methodist church Nigeria bared his mind on his music and other sundry issues.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the phenomenon trending now. What’s your take on COVID 19?
De’ Suzi : Obviously Coronavirus is an unfortunate thing at this time. It was quite unexpected and nobody really prepared for it. It literally took everyone unawares . The way it affects everyone is so serious that people do not have option than to be indoor as advised by government. Means of getting money is shut down, everything is shut down and even for some people there is no food to eat. We just have to pray to God to make this go away very quickly because this wasn’t what we bargained for this year. In countries like America, and places like Europe, it actually got out of hand big time. So, here in Nigeria, we need to pray really hard that it doesn’t get out of hand and we sure need to adhere strictly to all the COVID 19 preventive measures .
You have a huge fan base. Your token of advice to people on the ravaging coronavirus?
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De’Suzi: You know this virus has really exposed our rump in this country and even in the world. It has rendered powerful people and countries powerless since it had started ravaging late last year. It’s important to adhere to all government directives as prescribed by WHO: watch your hands regularly, use the alcohol based sanitizer each time you watch your hands , do not go out without wearing your face mask and above all, stay indoor if it’s not very essential that you go out. The virus is invisible and it’s a respecter of nobody , so you can’t tell where you can really contract it. So, caution is the word for everybody.
Away from COVID- 19. Some years back, you sang “Okunkun o ye wa…” Has there been changes since you sang that protest lyrics? Do you see light here anytime soon?
De’ Suzi: See Steve, on this issue you have just touched, I think we have been lied to a lot! At this time, it’s rather unfortunate we don’t have leaders that can stand up for us and speak on our behalf where and when it matters on this power outage challenge. We have had promises ; people promising heaven and earth but it has not yielded fruition. We want light? Yes! Have we gotten light? No! That’s the height of unfulfilled promises we have been treated to here. When I sang “Okunkun o ye wa…” Okitipupa was already a year old without electricity supply . That means by now the entire community has endured six years without power supply. We are still counting! It was after I sang that song that I got to know that other neighbouring communities of Igbotako, Igodan and many more had been cut off the grid long before the record was waxed. I can tell you if the state capital, Akure is without light for a month , all hell will be let loose. But here we are, a whole senatorial district has got no light for six years running . I mean it’s embarrassing! It’s bad! I don’t really know, could it be that they see people in Akure as more superior to us or more important than us? It beats me. You know, not only about light: look at our streets , no good road. Our roads are in bad shape and we don’t have water. What exactly our crime is, I don’t know. Is it not obvious we have been abandoned? Honestly, it is not a fair deal for the people of Ondo South senatorial district. How long are we going to be like this? See, the last time I saw pipe borne water running in this town was when I was in primary school. On the issue of light, everyone needs electricity to function . Electricity is a physiological thing ; it’s not the kind of luxury they are making us to believe it is.
Those in charge of this responsibility should live up to it. It’s not a fair deal that we have been abandoned for so long in this area. I am not happy and a lot of people are not happy too on the failure of those saddled with this responsibility to bring back our light.
What’s the way forward?
De’ Suzi : Well, I am not in government. Sincerely, the way forward is for the personnel in charge to do the needful . All the required wherewithal to get us light are already available . I believe this matter is about a switch . Let them switch on our light; that’s the only way forward. I am not an advocate of violence , that’s why I have made my own contribution through my music. Bob Marley says, ” you can fool some people sometime, but you can’t fool everybody all the time.” It’s not really good pushing people to the wall. I appeal to government to do something about this protracted power outage. I have heard people agitate that ” no light, no vote,” and the likes. Such gesture is going to complicate the matter at the end of the day. So rather than agitate violently, our people should agitate by networking and leveraging on their links to get electricity back. We all know the few people on whom the buck stops , so let’s make presentation to them and nudge their conscience that we are tired of “living in darkness.”
How does it feel being a knight? Were you expecting it when it was pronounced? Will I be correct to say you are the youngest knight in the Methodist Church Nigeria?
De’ Suzi: The honor came on a platter of gold. I wasn’t expecting it when it came and I didn’t even know that I had worked so much for that huge recognition. We were in church for a conference. The Head of conference , our Prelate was in attendance; all of a sudden , he called my name . I wasn’t expecting that , of course I knew someone must have made a case for me. That’s why whatever we are doing , we should always strive to do it well. Let me quote the Prelate at the conference, ” I have heard so much about you and your contribution to God’s work in the vineyard . I am coming to Ode Aye,” he mentioned the date , “I am going to confer on you the Knight of Charles Wesley (KCW),” and the whole church was agog . For me, it was a golden piece of good news and I was excited. If you say I am the youngest knight in MCN , I’ will say yes . I knew my age when I became a knight and when we go to the Council of knights, I see people old enough to be my grandpa, so I am really grateful to God and the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria for the great honor.
Tell me of your sojourn into music. Have you always wanted to be a musician from the start?
De’Suzi: I will say when you wake up someday and you say you want to become a lawyer, God will just be looking at you like “this one want to be a lawyer?” Because God has his own plans for our lives far better than our plans and desire. Of course, I wanted to become a lawyer and I strived towards becoming one, eventually it did not work. To cut it short, I had been a member of the church choir since when I was very young. Way back when our choir master would teach us song and most people won’t get it, I ‘ d easily comprehend and was always wondering why they found it difficult to comprehend the tonic sol-fa. Because it was always easy for me to get. When I started drumming in the church Boys’ Brigade squad, I wasn’t really a drummer. But when the drummer wasn’t really doing fine on band set, I summoned courage to drum and since then , the BB captain made sure no one else drummed except me. Way back in secondary school, I had already learnt how to play the piano and I learnt fast but my mum must not know at home because all she wanted me to concentrate on was my studies ; no extra curricular activities! However, my big break came one fateful day in the church. There was no one to play the organ. I thought of my mum; what she would say. My zeal for music kept urging me on. Torn between the fear of reprimand from my mum and the need to play on the organ in order not to make the service boring, I voted for the latter. Without thinking any further, I felt my feet yielded and off I trudged towards the organ. To everybody’s delight, I played very admiringly and from thence on there was no looking back . I first played on the organ in a church service at age 13 . Growing up, we were encouraged to form a musical band which we did and we sang, while I cut my teeth . Those years were learning curve for me. At the beginning of the new millennium, I formed my musical band . All the way , it’s been God’s favor, love and mercy. It hasn’t been easy so to speak, but God has been faithful , always.
Thank you . And we bless God for the De’Suzy brand. Well, musicians claim to have muses, inspirational flow that spurs their tune and lyrics. Does Demola Suzy have muses too?
De’Suzi: Well it’s not that they claim. It’s the reality. Everyone has something within him or her like the innerbeing that inspires. For musicians , they listen very well when the flow comes because it’s a spur of the moment thing. Take “Okunkun o yewa..” for example. I just woke up one morning feeling the heat because there was no light and I was just humming, “this darkness ( power outage) is belittling, it doesn’t befit us. ” The flow of the tune just registered and I found myself lyricising the tune in a highlife flow. That was how the song came to reality of a waxed record. Composing a good song is a function of the right flow of inspiration.
Finally De’Suzi, what is your advice for the youth?
De’Suzzy: I want to advice our youth to dare to be original. If they want to do music, they should be original in their flow so that they won’t be labelled a copy cat. Our youth should stay away from crime, any crime for that matter and they should go to school. They must always remember that if they go to school, the refined nature of doing things having passed through school will reflect in whatever they do. And above all, let us not forget that coronavirus is real; we all should endeavour to stay safe.
Thank you very much for coming on our show, the polity roundtable.
De’Suzy: Thank you very much Steve. I appreciate you all.
