I met BOB DEE (Aare Dele Momodu) in 1990. Yes 35 years ago.
This was a transition period for me. I had just resigned as the Head of Programs of Ogun State Television (OGTV) and formed Dudu Productions.
Rented a five bedroom flat at 51 Ijaiye Rd, Ogba in Lagos, which became a shrine where 90% of the apex musical stars then had all sorts of imaginative videos moulded and pushed to the entertainment scene .
As I was in personal transition, the entertainment industry too was entering its explosive stage, although this was a result of different phenomena.
Firstly, there was revolution in all the genres of music.
In JUJU, Shina Peters, Dayo Kujore, Segun Adewale, DeleTaiwo, Ahuja Bello etc. rebeled with a new sound away from the dominance of the likes of King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Adekunle etc
In Fuji music scene, Kwam 1, Adewale Ayuba, Aass Akande Obesere and Salawa Abeni among others, evolved a new fast tempo Fuji mudic laced with a lot of sexism and street lingo.
A gap from the respectable messages of Dr. Simiru Ayinde Barrister and Alhai Ayinla Kollington.
Reggae became a Nigerian sound with lightening energy, influenced by the Bob Marley magic from Jamaica.
Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono, Orits Williki, The Mandators, Sunny Okosun, Evi Edna -Ogholi and Blackie were the leading lights then.
Another milestone was the emergence of formidable Record companies like Sony Music, Premier Recirds, Ivory Misic and Tabansi Records.
They were spending fortunes on production and promotion of these new turks.
No surprise then that other collateral phenomena evolved, like Award nights especially PMAN awards, world-class concerts like Dapo Adelegan’s Lekki Sunsplash; Golden Tones, Rainforest concert etc
The advertising agencies were going nuts with creativity.
As if by divine arrangement, a young but highly intelligent crop of journalists sprang up and became the lightening rod of the entertainment industry.
Welcome to the age of razzmatazz!
The Punch, Vanguard, Weekend Concord, Fame, Tempo, Encomium, Classique, Global excellence were all heavy in entertainment reporting.
These became the homestead of these insurgents who actually became publishers as the banking industry and personal investors paid attention to them.
There was no Internet. No social media. They called it soft sell journalism!
They relished in the expose’ of the shenanigans of the rich and the famous and more productively they built the larger than life image of stars and events of that era of the early 90s.
They created the razzmatazz in the Nigerian entertainment industry that is still prevalent today.
In the mix were some who put in a dose of social and political activism.
Dele Momodu, Bayo Onanuga, Kunle Bakare, Mayor Akinpelu, Feni Akintunde-Johnson, Azuka Jeboze, Kunle Ajibade, Wale Olomu, Seye Kehinde , Femi Ojudu, Dapo Oloruyomi, Halim Mohammed, May Helen-Ezekiel, Tunde Kolawole, Azuh Arinze, Muka Popoola, Tolani Abati, Niyi Akinsiju, Jude Arijaje, Tunde Aremu and many others were in fore front of entertainment journalism at various times.
These guys did a lot for my emergence as the dominant music and big concert video producer in the country. They hyped Dudu Productions to high heavens. They gave me patronage. I did adverts for the launch of FAME and The News. In fact, FAME magazine gave me the shoot of the last big concert of Fela Anikulapo at Lekki.
This is how I met Dele Momodu.
Shina Peters was about to release ACE by Sony music. My friend, Dean Disi, had gotten Sony to give me the video shoot.
Of course I had impressed them with the videos of Majek Fashek and Mike Okri. So it was a shoo in.
The soft sell journalists went into a frenzy. By the time ACE dropped, Nigeria’s entertainment industry stood still.
A year later, with Shina still riding the crest, Sony was about to release his second album. The executives of Sony, Madam Keji Okunowo, Dean Disi, Laolu Akins, who also doubled as the music producer, abd Niyi Oyesiku were frantically looking for a profound title.
Dele Momodu had written an article for weekend Concord tilted SHINAMANIA!
They pounced on that and it became a banger for Shina’s second release.
I remember heading to Abuja with Shina, dancers and crew to the newly-built Nicon Hilton hotel to shoot a most colorful video for the album.
This was my first personal attraction to Dele Momodu.
One day, I told him I would like to visit him. Cheerfully he described his place on off Medical road in Ikeja.
Next day, I headed there with my General Manager and we saw actually it was at the edges of the computer village.
I was taken aback.
As we entered the narrow alley navigating between shops, I stepped on something that typefies the dirty habit of Lagosians. I had to return to the car to clean my shoe before going back, more gingerly this time !
Then we turned the bend and I saw a two bedroom apartment in a zip code I didn’t expect a front line journalist to be staying.
As I entered I beheld an image that has defined Bob Dee for me till today.
Stacked ceiling to floor, wall to wall, are book shelves filled to the brim with books of all descriptions.
I knew instantly I had stepped into the humble abode of a man who prides intellect and excellence above mundane values. I knew instantly Dele Momodu was going to grow into an achiever.
I remember Dele was not in, but Kunle Bakare who later became the Managing Director of National Encomium magazine was lying down on the rug. Doing what? Reading a book!
Today, Dele sleeps in 5-star hotels, flies in jets, meets Kings and Presidents.
When he says he started from nothing, some of us know how profound a statement it is.
It’s always amusing, in this era of social media fracas, whenever Dele writes one of his provocative posts, you will see half illiterates dismissing him as a graduate of Yoruba.
That ‘ori kenji’ (big head) houses a brain full of deep knowledge acquired from decades of voracious reading and global savvy!
Momodu’s obsession with Basorun MKO ABIOLA was a turning point in his life.
We saw as he evolved from journalist to activist, to asylum seeker and finally a publisher of a global brand – OVATION.
I’m still confused about two phenomena which rather than term it contradiction, I will instead call complexity.
This week, Dele published an article in which he recounted how the late mikitary Head of State, Sani Abacha, hounded him with a threat to his life, and then victory came in form of OVATION magazin.
The picture he posted with the article was of Abacha’s daughter holding a copy of the magazine on its cover!
I still scratch my head.
The second complexity:
Dele by his values, organic nature and populist tendencies, should have been in the front line of the progressive movement in the political space. Why he’s at tangent I still don’t understand.
However, this tribute is not about Deles politics or complexities. God knows I have my own too plenty!
It is about Dele the man, the friend, the brother.
When OVATION carol wanted to start, I was hoping Dele would call me to come and shoot it for him.
He didn’t call me.
I licked my wound but determined not to ask for it.
The following year, it was time again. Dele called. Uncle mi, please come to Planet One hotel for a breakfast meeting.
He didn’t say the purpose, but I knew it was about the Carol and it was.
I had just bought the latest HD remote controlled cameras, the type they use for Big Brother Naija. I was happy to test it in such a high profile event.
A few days after the Carol I went to use the cameras to shoot the first global transmission of Winners Chapel’s Shilloh programme at Otta. By the way, I was then a Deacon of that commission.
I can never forget as we were having the meeting, someone came down the elevators and Dele introduced me to him in very flowery words.
It was Toyin Subar, who had just started HITV.
I was immedeately asked to come and produce station adverts for them.
I did, but they were rejected because they felt the effects were too loud and aggresive.
They preffered a simplistic image, almost black and white, with no efffects.
I remember Morayo Afolabi-Brown now of TVC was the Programmes Controller then.
However, as I made to leave, disappointed, Toyin Subar picked his phone and called TAYO ADERINOKUN, the founding partner of Guarantee Trust Bank, telling him he has a classic producer in front of him.
The next day I was given a contract to produce 10 corporate adverts titled Footprints for GTB
The value of the contract was enough to build two beautiful duplexes in this Lagos.
In fact, HITV itself called me back to design for them a reality show to rival BBN.
What I was paid easily made me buy 21 HD cameras, top of the line video and audio mixers and all the accessories for a massive reality show.
Unfortunately, a day to transmission, DSTV obtained injuction amd stopped the programme.
HITV shocked me by, not only paying my balance, but also asking me to go with all the equipment!
I had just left political post as Chairman of BDG. I was trying to find my feet in the industry again. A breakfast with Dele Momodu changed the trajectory of my career!
There are two things Dele hits you with.
Forget the acerbic and surgical writer that hits your under the belly when he’s at odds with you.
Dele Momodu is one the most respectful and self effacing human beings I’ve met in my 72 years on earth.
Even when you are just a few odd years older than him, Dele will easily call you Uncle. He bends to greet and switches on his child like smile that never seems to leave his face.
The more disarming, Dele makes you feel you are a great man when he’s talking to you. He makes you feel he’s in awe of your achievement. Sometimes you wonder if he’s just flattering you!
But that’s the nature of the man.
Recently a lady came from France to Nigeria. She called me frantically saying Uncle I’m at an eatery in Victoria Island. Dele Momodu is eating on the other table. I’m soo excited. I feel like greeting him but I’m afraid he might give me celebrity cold shoulder.
I said noooo. She said she would just go across and tell him you are on the phone. I said OK.
Dele had not even said hello to me when I heard him saying ” haaaaaa uncle mi niyen. Those are the people who brought us up in this industry, and shaped our career.” Of course it was not true. We are friends and colleagues. That’ss the nature of the man!
I have never written a post or tribute this long.
Dele you did two things last week that triggered my consciousness about you.
The house warming on the only land bought by Papa in Ile-Ife, and the House on your ancestral home in IHIEVBE.
I know your globe trotting will not alow you to live there. But I suddenly saw your essence. A man preparing for the long path to longevity and the romance of legacy. It was emotional for me watching it.
Dele, oo ni subu daanu.
Won o ni fi ina, omi, ategun ba e ja.
Oo ni rin ni ojo ti ebi npa ona.
Iyawo ati awon omo ti Olodumare fi paa e lerin, esu o ni fi paa a lekun.
Ko po, ko dun, ko pee!
Congratulations
The bush boy from IHIEVBE!
**Alabi-Hundehin is a respected filmmaker and social commentator
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