TVC E – More than six years after his death, family, friends and fans of the late fuji music icon, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, gathered in Lagos to keep the memory of the music great alive.The event tagged Barry Day 2016, was organised by the Ayinde Barrister Legacy Club, and attracted a large crowd of lovers of the musician, including longtime fans like Alhaji Adisa Osiefa, Prince Adeniji Adele, Adewale Ayuba, Alhaja Mayabikan and several others, who Barrister praised in most of his albums.
Members of the club, who stormed the Airport Hotel, Lagos, venue of the event, from all over the country, spoke in glowing terms of their hero, who most of them described as a genius.
Speaking of his bosom friend, Alhaji Osiefa, who had been variously described as the ‘twin brother’ of the late musician, said: “To say that we miss him is an understatement. You can imagine what happens when someone with whom you have spent the most of the last four decades suddenly dies. He was no doubt a great man. He was in a class of his own as far as music is concerned. We would continue to miss him.”
Adeniji Adele described Barrister as a kind-hearted and generous man. To the surprise of many, Adele said Barrister would offer to perform at his parties for free. “He was a good man. He treated me like a younger brother, and he would even offer to perform free whenever we had any social function.”
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Sunday Adepoju, described Barrister as a great philosopher. He said he learnt a lot about life by listening to the music of Barrister. “This man was a great philosopher. And through his music, he taught so many people, including me, about important issues of life. His kind of music is something that you would allow your young children to listen to without any fear, because, you are sure that they would only learn good lessons from it.”
Also, many of Barrister’s children gathered to celebrate their father. In a tribute on behalf of the children, Aderonke Balogun said she began to appreciate her father’s value after his death. “Daddy was just a father to me. I didn’t really see him the way other people saw him. But after he died, I listened to what people were saying about him, it was at that point that I began to realise how big and important he was really is and how much he was loved by the people.”
The event also witnessed a book launch in honour of Barrister. The book, written by his publicist, tried to draw attention to most of the controversies around the musician, and explaining in details, why and how the controversies were resolved.
