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Behold Mr Garbage | By Tunde Busari
Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister lost it the day he rose from his bed and engaged in intense thoughts, which led him to define what Fuji sound was and should be among other genres of indigenous music in Nigeria in particular and world in general.
He lost it when he gathered his thoughts together, gathered his band members too, headed for studios and recorded his definition in the elpee to be titled FUJI REGGAE Series II in 1979, brilliantly articulating that fuji sound is amalgamation of different genres. Barrister completely lost his rest as well as his peace, his peace of mind.
He had exposed himself to the world, and the world was watching and impatiently waiting for what he was up to. They wanted to see how he was going to combine the highlighted genres of his definition to create a distinct brand and sustain it. He knew that he had set himself up; he knew the expectations were thousands of miles above sea level. But as a trained combatant soldier expected to turn every challenge to opportunity, he was determined to meet the expectations and surpass them.
Shortly, he subsumed Sakara and Apala but met a stiff obstacle in juju genre. Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade remained pushful on stage and inside studios, dropping one popular elpee after the other. Juju posed a real threat but the soldier in Barrister always reminded him that he could not afford to run back to the trenches. He moved on. I learnt it on good authority that at private function, he would always engage a juju musician to perform. This might be a strategy to, at a close range, understudy the tricks of the genre beyond what he heard in their albums.
A careful listener would pick some guitar rhythm which Barrister smartly and intelligently turned either to song or drum beats in his albums or at live performances. In line with his race, he was bringing western instruments, especially flute and strings, into his music. Aside mouth organ which was common among ajisari singers and which Barrister also used, he brought trumpet in 1981. And it spiced his live shows with a particular reference to a 1982 performance in Ilesa at which trumpet stole the show.
He would go ahead and feature the trumpet in IWA album released a few months later, and the instrument made a significant difference through its occasional intervention at the back of percussion. The success recorded encouraged him to combine two trumpets in LOVE of 1983, and both are effective and won fans of juju and highlife for fuji. It seemed Obey and Sunny were getting that message, that Barrister clearly rebellious message, and accordingly upped their game. Yet, Barrister soldiered on, enduring sleepless nights and fixed his eyes on his destination.
On his return from his Summer 87 trip to America, he combined piano with trumpet and gave us BARRY WONDER released in December 1987. This elpee, unknown to many, was the beginning of the journey to FUJI GARBAGE, FUJI GARBAGE Series II and FUJI GARBAGE Series III. Barrister repeated BARRY WONDER experiment in BARRY WONDER @40 some months after in 1988, and the triumph was unquantifiable. It was a bomb! Barrister shone. Fuji music and all good fuji musicians became instant beneficiaries having their patronage expanded.
Still, he was not carried away by the applause over that album dedicated to his clocking 40 years on the surface of the earth. He kept on moving and recorded FUJI GARBAGE in which he strangely featured Hawai guitar played by one dexterous and colourful John Akinola. If you listen to Obey very actively, hawai guitar was a key string which often electrifies his percussion. KSA and other juju acts also use it. But because a section of Barrister’s fans was oblivious that it was an experimental elpee, they did not key into what sounded odd to them, accusing him of attempt to turn fuji to juju and kill their beloved genre.
The cry, the justified fear though, of his critics notwithstanding, Barrister remained himself and hit the airwaves with FUJI GARBAGE Series II in December 1988. Few weeks after the release, the same critics turned 360 degrees, clapped for his ingenuity and also “danced to Fuji Garbage.”
FUJI GARBAGE Series II did the magic, and Sir Sina Peters made attestation to how the elpee singularly inspired his Afro-juju to later record what became a chart-buster, ACE in 1989. Go and listen to SSP ACE and SHINAMANIA in particular and dance to a perfect fusion of fuji and juju derived from Barrister’s brain work.
FUJI GARBAGE Series III did not come in quick succession of FUJI GARBAGE and FUJI GARBAGE II which were released some months apart in 1988. It had to wait for one whole year after Barrister had dropped CURRENT AFFAIRS in the mid-1989. And when FUJI GARBAGE III hit the market in December of that year, it was the completion of Barrister’s journey to his destination. He introduced a Caribbean Steel pan used as opening track, played on Basket ball as a coded language and used reggae instrumentation to background Mo gbere mi dode Osupa adini mi.’
Conscious that the first sides of the three ‘FUJI GARBAGES’ would cause distraction, especially with use of new instruments, Barrister deliberately reserved the flip sides for philosophical messages for which he is reputed. In those sides, brilliance of his team of drummers would be appreciated on how each expresses himself without disturbing others. The drummers speak with songs of Barrister to add meanings to the songs and produce more meaningful music to the fans.
Barrister’s music essentially is not all about jumping and sweating on dance floor even though it is danceable, if you are gifted with dance skills. His music is exclusively about meditating on philosophy, sermon, admonition, warning, education, history, tourism and beautiful use of language, different languages including, of course, Arabic, Latin, French aside English.
Are you still surprised on why his cds are still selling as if he had just dropped them from heaven?
The Kano State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo over allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and breach of public trust.
The notice was presented yesterday during plenary by the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, who said the action follows Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dala said the allegations stem from Abdussalam’s tenure as Commissioner for Local Government (2023–2024) and his current role as deputy governor. He accused the deputy governor of diverting funds meant for the 44 local government councils.
According to the majority leader, Abdussalam allegedly received N1.5 million monthly from each council between June 2023 and January 2024, totaling N462 million. Between February and July 2024, he allegedly collected N3.255 million monthly from each council under the guise of special assignments, amounting to N726 million.
Dala also accused the deputy governor of abuse of office, claiming he facilitated payments of N10 million from each council to NovoMed Pharmaceuticals Limited, totaling N440 million, in violation of state procurement laws.
“The misuse of official capacity to confer undue advantage constitutes abuse of power and undermines public trust,” Dala told lawmakers, adding that the allegations amount to gross misconduct under the Constitution.
The impeachment notice was reportedly endorsed by 38 lawmakers, meeting the constitutional threshold to proceed. The Speaker has acknowledged receipt, and the House is expected to serve the allegations on the deputy governor.
If approved, a panel may be constituted by the state Chief Judge to investigate the claims.
As of filing, Abdussalam had yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
The Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that he had joined the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, made the announcement during a media briefing in Abuja, attributing his decision to what he described as irreconcilable differences within the PDP.
The lawmaker said the emergence of the NDC would strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system by providing a credible opposition platform.
According to him, the party recently received its certificate of registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said, “Last week INEC issued a certificate of registration and we now have the newest party in Nigeria known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress and our symbol is victory, the victory sign.
“So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress.”
Dickson noted that although the party’s registration took longer than expected, its eventual approval was a welcome development for the country’s democratic landscape.
“Yes, it is coming at this time. We would have wished it started some years or months back. We don’t control INEC and their processes; they delayed. We don’t also control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived,” he said.
The senator also stressed that Nigeria’s democracy must not slide into a one-party system, insisting that political diversity remained vital for national stability.
“This nation cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is not designed to be a one-party state.
“We are a very diverse nation culturally, religiously and politically and that is the beauty of our country.
“So anyone or any party promoting one-party rule in Nigeria is mistaken. We build political parties and get involved in movements to access power for the good of the people, not for our personal benefit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission recently announced the registration of two new political parties.
The parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.
The announcement was made by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, during the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with political party stakeholders for 2026.
According to him, the Democratic Leadership Alliance completed the required verification process, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 58-year-old alleged drug lord, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had reportedly been on the agency’s wanted list and that of British authorities for over 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, following what the agency described as a high-level, coordinated operation by officers of its Special Operations Unit.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the suspect’s arrest ended a prolonged manhunt linked to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the statement, Ilomuanya was first arrested in February 2003 in the United Kingdom and convicted for drug trafficking.
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment but was released after serving two years following a successful appeal.
Babafemi added that the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 over drug-related offences.
He said, “He was granted administrative bail but jumped jurisdiction and fled to Nigeria.
“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was in November 2018 arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area country home in Imo State and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, Lagos residence where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.
“He was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos, after which he jumped court bail and has been on the run since then.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s ongoing war against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said the operation demonstrated the agency’s resolve to track down criminal elements regardless of how long they evade the law.
He said, “This arrest serves as a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice.
“Whether you jump bail in London or set up clandestine labs in your village, the long arm of the NDLEA will eventually catch up with those who choose to undermine the health, security, and future of our nation.
“We remain committed to our international collaborations to ensure that Nigeria is not used as a sanctuary for global drug lords.”
Marwa also commended officers of the Special Operations Unit for their professionalism and persistence in tracking down the suspect.
He added that the agency would continue to strengthen intelligence-driven operations and international cooperation to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria.
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