Cleft specialist, Pastor James Abayomi, went through the thick and thin of music making with late Afrobeat Marverick, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, for 10years before he turned his back on him. In this close-up with our Contributing Editor, IFECHI OKOH, he opens up on his memorable stay with the legend, how he fell in love with hemp, hot drinks and why he had to walk out on the band unceremoniously without a second thought. Savour it!

Why did you suddenly bow to God’swish?

Once it is the wish of God for anyone to serve Him, the person becomes instantly helpless. So he will do God’s bidding as quickly as possiblewithout actually knowing it; under the strict control of the power of theAlmighty God. Remember thecase of Jonah who initially refused togo to Nineveh to deliver God’smessage. In his desperate bid to escape, he was swallowed by a waiting Whale and was taken straight toNineveh, in a dream circumstance, only to realise suddenly where he was. It was under that frightening situation that he had to deliver God’smessage quickly. This is a simple demonstration that God's will mustcome to pass, no matter the circumstance which He is not interested to negotiate with the messenger. I don't want to try God and, as a result,suffer same fate with Jonah.

May we know why you took to hemp smoking andogogoro drinking as a musician for years?

Large percentage of music followers know that goodnumber ofmusicians smoke anddrink. It could be hemp, hot drink or ordinarycigarettes. Most of the musicians into such unwholesome practices, smoke hemp and drink mostly, hot and ogogoro. During my own time, I smoked hemp and drank hot, not ogogoro. All I can say about hemp smoking and drinkinghot or evenogogoro is that none cantransform anybody to something else, unless the person concerned wants to be. Any person who has wanted to commit a predeterminedcrime of any nature, does so easily, only to feign acting under theinfluence ofhemp, hot or ogogoro.I know this and I am convinced beyond reasonabledoubt because I was once neck-deep in those vices.

What is the psychologicaleffectof droppingthese anti-socialsocial habits?

The truth here is that they are not easy to drop completely because of human nature. However, those of us who are already in theLord as vineyard workers may not have beenable to drop out of thesevices successfully, if not through the strong influenceof God. All I do today is to take red wine occasionally. I know that most of thosewho are also into my former kind of vices, but are yet to be born again, may be taking red wine too occasionally,just as I do.

What are the attendant effects of dumping hemp and hot drinks?

I remember vividly thatwhen I became a born again Christian years back, I met a friend who was living in Ilasamajaarea of Lagos State then.He was actuallyyet to know thatI have become a born-again Christian and, as a result, dumped those social vices we used to enjoy anytime we were together back in the days.When he noticed that I was cold to his offering me a stick of hemp and a shot of hot as usual, he reacted sharply by maintaining that he did not understandmy new stance, and as a result, advised me quickly to go back fast to my igbo and hot drinking days becausewey you dey firethem in those days, I understand you far better then thanhow you dey do now.

When you were neck deep in Indian hemp smoking habit, did the Police ever catch you one day with it?

Not quite! However, I was almost caught with it one day in Kano when Afrika 70 bandwent to play there. It all started when a colleague who was a hard hemp addict and I were given a hotel room where we stayed.As habitual smokers, we had our differentwraps with us. But something told us to hide them to avoid a sudden Police swoop, in case they came into our room for their routine checks and bumped into these illegal wraps. What would be our fate if they came in and discover these wraps? To avoid such happening, we quickly hid the wraps well well somewhere in our bed. Could you believe that they eventually came and searched out the wraps followingserious searching of our room?We almost fainted when it happened. We were arrested and charged to court. Our only saving grace through God was our lawyer, late Kanmi Ishola Osobu, who told the court that it was those who used the room last thatleft the controversial wraps.

Why did you take a sudden and inevitablewalk away from the band, after spending10 solid years with Fela?

Beneath late Fela’s global standingand respect, were hislack of organization and management. Disturbingly, he did not know this, hence such weakness combined well to rock him to his bottom from time to time. Imagine Fela who had messed-up himself with Decca West Africa, took us all, as band members, to Berlin Music Festival against their contractual agreement. There, his face-off with Decca West Africa boomeranged as the organizers insisted on the terms of not coming with the number of band members agreed. It was an obvious fallout. He couldn’tbelieve it when they asked him to pay for the extrapersonnel he came with. He was confused, but managed to pay for them. This harsh face-off dug obvious deep hole in his pocket. He didn’t really find it funny. So when it was time forall to return to Nigeria, six dodged and remained there. On our return, he orderedthat we, the remainingpersons, should reapply. I couldn'tbelieve it. I was so miffed and disappointed. Me reapply after 10years? For what? I refused. That was how I took an inevitable walk from Fela and the band in 1979.

How was the relationship between you andFela before he died in 1997?

Relationship? I must confess that there was no kind of relationship because Ifaced my business squarely. As a result, there was no time to look for him because I was damn busy with ways to boost my business so that it will boom as expected. When I heard of his death, I humblydid all humanlypossibleto be at the Tafawa Balewa Square, where they laid him in state. After that day, I have to mind my business till date. Since I became a worker in the vineyard of our Lord, I have not been going out at nights. Going out at nights for what? A popular Yoruba proverb maintains that a well brought up child does not go out at midnight.