Hon Akin Ekundayo, a.k.a. Dayo Maxima, juju musician turned politician and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain representing Ijero State Constituency in Ekiti State House of Assembly told GBENGA SODEINDE, how the state Governor, Ayo Fayose, made him. Excerpts:
Tell me about yourself?
I’m Honourable Akinleye Ekundayo, otherwise known as Dayo Maxima, the Deputy Chief Whip of Ekiti State House of Assembly, representing Ijero Constituency. I was born in 1978, at Ijurin Ekiti. I attended Ijurin Iloro united Primary, and secondary schools. I had my college education at Ikere Ekiti, where I studied Music. I proceeded to University of Nigeria, Nsuka for my BA in Music Education. I have been a musician since I was a student at College of Education. I started I started my musical career in 1999. Though I started on a very rough note, but I thank God today, my musical career has gotten a serious boost. I started partaking in politics since my school days at the College of Education. I was elected as the Vice President of Music Department from Part two to three. Again, I was elected the President of the same department, same year I was elected the Director of Social, Students Union, of the institution. My track
record are there as an active politician during my school days. As God will have it, I came out for the election into the Ekiti State House of Assembly in 2014, to contest as member representing Ijero constituency, and I won. My constituency comprises of Ijero, Ikoro, Ijurin, Iloro, Odo Owa, Ekameta and Ekamarun. I have taught in both secondary and primary schools across Ekiti State. I joined the teaching profession in 2002 and resigned in 2014 to contest into the House of Assembly.
As you are here you are today, who made you?
I could say without mincing word today that Fayose made me. When I came across Fayose in 2003, he contributed a lot to my musical career. He brought me up. In terms of entertainment, Fayose invested so much in me; he did everything possible to boost my musical career. At the same time, he became interested and decided to establish me politically. So, both ways, he has been my pillar, be has always been there for me.
How did you meet Fayose?
The Bible says: ‘The gift of a Man will make him to stand before the kings and sit with the Prince’. I came across Fayose while playing music. When Fayose saw me, he studied me and
after studying my background discovered that this guy will be a loyal person to him. He believed in me. He discovered that I am a very talented musician, and he believed that if he could develop this guy, he would be a good politician, so he decided to invest in me and launch me into politics proper and here am I am today as one of his disciples.
What have been your major challenges in life?
Being a musician is not an easy task; you need to have a strong backbone. When we started, I did not have anything, it was very difficult then, even to get a speaker to use for my outing then was a serious problem. We will have to run up and down to get money to rent speakers and other musical instruments that we will use. And how much were they paying us then for a show? It was so small; in fact, a lot of us offered services free of charge just to gain recognition in the society. So, it has been so challenging getting to where I am today, but I thank God. All what I did then I have started getting the rewards now. And politically, to being a politician is not easy. Is it the monetary aspect that you will talk about or the consultancy aspect? I want to tell you that politics has two sides, the negative and the positive sides. Because a lot of people who contested alongside with me, they could not even see the light of day at the primary not to talk of the real election, and that is after they had spent a lot of money. So I enjoy the grace of God to be able
to pass through that hurdle of primaries. In my own constituency, I went through series of rigorous primary conditions. And in the main general election, it was so challenging, starting
from the money aspect and other problems but I thank God that I was able to scale through. So, it has been so challenging getting to where I am.
So, what will you say is your profession?
I don’t want to take politics as a profession, because if you take politics as your full time business and after four years, if your political party is longer in power, your may become frustrated. Where I am today, loyalty to Fayose got me there and once you don’t have any job to go back to, you can do anything to survive. So you may no longer be loyal, the next thing, you will be running from one party to another, and from one leader to another just to survive. But as I am today, if at the end of my four years, our political party is no longer in power, I will continue with my music profession fully, and I will not have any cause to betray my benefactor for what I will eat. And if we are fortunate to still be in power then, all things being equal, life goes on. So music is a noble profession. In the whole of the House of Assembly, I am the only person that is proud of my profession, I say it everywhere even in hallowed chambers. When I want to introduce myself, or when I am talking about my nomenclature, I will say, I, Honourable Akinleye Ekundayo, the only and the number one musician to be elected to hold an elective position throughout Nigeria. A lot of more popular stars have tried it but they did not make it. I am not mocking them, even our own king, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde has tried it in Lagos; he did not get the ticket. Another very famous Musician from Ogun State, 9Nice tried it, but here I am, as a local star I got the ticket. A number of musicians tried to be elected into the House of Assembly
throughout the whole federation. So, I have chosen music to be my profession, I can’t leave it. Recently, I launched my newly acquired set of instruments with truck and people were amazed that this guy could still have time for music. I don’t see politics as all in all; no, music is my talent and even God will query me if I fail to do it; God will ask me, ‘how well did you use your talent’? Apart from that, music is the only talent that when you get to heaven, you still have to use it. So, I will not shy away from the truth, music is my profession, Politics
is my hobby, and my part time job.
Do you still perform at functions even now as an Honourable member?
Yea! Very well.
Your next level of aspiration?
I want to be developing in terms of music; I want to be moving higher everyday in my music career. Because music is far from getting a new set of instrument and believing that you are on top of it all. No, Music is developing everyday with new innovations and you have to keep on moving with it. Though, I have just acquired a new set of instruments, I still want to move higher. Recently, when I played alongside Evangelist Ebenezer Obey at Idirioko festival in Ado Ekiti, it was my newly acquired set of instrument that gave me confidence to face him at the show, but I was amazed seeing the kind of instruments he brought to the show. So, this is the kind of things I am talking about; I want people to talk about me that when you are talking about the best musical instrument in Nigeria, you will say Hon Akinleye is number one, and even in terms of entertainment industry in Nigeria, I want to be mentioned as number one; I want to be at the top, that is my aspiration.
You said Fayose made you, have you ever invested in or made anyone?
I am on it, I want to be mentioned as someone who has made persons and we have started and we are on it. I want people to say like I am saying now that I was made through Hon. Akinleye.
Your happiest day in life?
Because it is my music career that got me connected to Fayose before he could discover me and then develop me to make me what I am, so my happiest day in life was when I was sworn in as the number one musician to be elected into the state House of Assembly throughout out the whole nation. And not just an ordinary member in this house of Assembly but also a Principal officer, the Deputy Chief whip. So, whenever I remember this day, I am always happy and
thanking God because there are so many people who were better than me even in the music industry who could not get it but I got it through the grace of God.
Presently, do you hold any office or position in Ekiti as a musician?
Presently, I just received a letter from the Association of Juju Musician of Nigeria, Ekiti State chapter which I belong to, appointing me as their Special Adviser.
You always put on white, what is the secret behind it?
No secret, that is just my identity. I want to be known as a stainless person who does not have any stain. You know that white does not absolve stain, and you can not be wearing white and be dirty. I want to be recognised, I want to be different from many people anywhere and at any time as somebody who is clean, bright, and stainless both inwardly and outwardly.
Your message to the people?
I have two messages for our people, especially our youths: they should not depend solely on politics, some of us when we get into politics we forget about what we were doing before, our
our profession. The danger there is you might be frustrated and switch to another boss, and that is disloyalty. I told you loyalty got me to this level, so that is why it is not good to abandon the
profession of which you were known with. I was a teacher for 12 years before I joined politics and I was playing my music alongside. Even up till now, I’m combining the two as a musician and a legislator. So they should please face their job and take politics as part time job like I do. Secondly, our people should endure; endurance brought me to this present level; our youths should endure and should not be looking for short cut to success. If you go through shortcut, you will not be able to manage the success when it comes. And particularly no matter what comes, no matter what happens, it pays to be loyal to any political father or boss you choose for
yourself.
nice one ............
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