In an interview with
Tribune,
popular dancehall star Daddy Showkey said no armed robbers in Lagos can
rob him because they respect him too much. He said he's encountered
many of them on the streets, but they immediately let him go and even
apologize when they recognize him. See below...
You were said to have been attacked by those alleged to be
gunmen in your Lagos home shortly after you returned, could you tell us
what happened?
Yes, they were assassins. They came to my house and killed one of my
boys. Thank God I was lucky. Those guys were not armed robbers because
in Nigeria today, no armed robbers can come to my house. It can never
happen.
Why?
I grew up in the street of Ajegunle. I have always been a street boy.
Armed robbers can never rob me. I have met a lot of them on the streets
of Lagos several times and they will tell me Showkey Baba, we didn’t
know it was you. Please, no vex, dey go. That respect is always there.
Armed robbers respect you? Do you have any connection with them?
That is a story for another day, Mr reporter.
So who were the people that came to my house?
The people that came to my house saw my son and asked him about my
whereabouts, he said I was not around. My son went back inside and told
one of my boys to go and attend to the guys at the gate, when he got
there, they thought he was my bodyguard, so they shot him. They were
inside my house for hours and they did not take anything away. Armed
robber won’t come to my house and start asking of Showkey, they will
face what they have come for and leave. But these guys were asking for
me and when they didn’t see me, they left. I am sad because they killed
one of my boys.
You were said to have been shot few months after that incident at your house, is that true?
Yes. I was shot inside a filling station in Lagos.
Why would anybody want to kill you?
I don’t know. I can’t even explain what could be responsible for that but I thank God that I have overcome that now.
Before you had that accident that kept you out of active
music for almost ten years, the impression people had about you was that
you had reached the eclipse of your career. Many people did not even
know you had an accident until you came back. What do you have to say?
First of all, let me thank God that I am back again. Because If I had
died before, during or after the accident, this interview will never
happen. Talking about my career before the accident, you will agree with
me that I have come a long way in the music industry. Myself and other
old generation musicians set the ground rolling for today’s musicians
and I am proud to say that.
But you will agree that at some point, Showkey’s name was not as pronounced as it used to be?
You can’t remain on top of your game for the rest of your life. There
will be a moment when you will be forced to take the back seat and
observe things, but that does not mean you are no more relevant or music
has nothing to do with you again. The mistake most people make is that
when they don’t see or hear about you, they quickly conclude that your
life in music is over. I am not surprised that people didn’t know that I
had an accident because I didn’t come out to tell Nigerians that I am
down ooo, please help me.
Why? Are you saying that because you have the wherewithal to handle your predicament?
It is not about having the resources to handle my problem, it is more
of my decision not to bother people with my problem. Why should I
disturb them in the first place? Because they are my fans does not mean
they should know about every step I take about my life. I asked myself
one question which was, would Nigerians not have known if I was arrested
for drugs or something capable of tarnishing my image?.
It seems you are sad that despite your popularity, Nigerians did not know that Daddy Showkey had a life-threatening accident...
No. I am not feeling any sadness in my heart. I am even happy right
now. I can’t be happier. I am not bothered whether they know or they
don’t. What matters to me is that I was able to handle my predicament
through the help of God and some people who God used to help me. I am
grateful to these people and I wish them well in all they do. They are
my people now and they are my friends.
You have new friends now?
I didn’t say I have new friends. What I am saying is that I have
learnt new lesson about life and I now know what friendship is about.
So none of your friends in the music industry came to the hospital to look after you?
The fact is that how many of them knew that I had an accident? How
many of them knew which hospital I was admitted to?. It was not the
matter of who was there or not, it was the matter of how I was able to
handle my situation and managed everything very well. Another thing is
that even those who would have come didn’t come because of one reason or
the other but I am not bothered about that. Life goes on my brother.
You live to learn and you learn to live. When on my sick bed, I read a
report about my accident published by one national newspaper in Nigeria,
I wept. I wept because that was the only newspaper that reported it.
What single lesson did that experience teach you?
Not a single one but many lessons but the chief of them is caution. I
have learnt how to approach life with extreme caution. You know why? If
Showkey had died in that accident, I am sure that by now people would
have forgotten about me. Perhaps when they listen to any of my songs,
they may feel like ouch! that was Showkey’s song. We missed him so much.
The bitter truth is that life goes on.
What was running on your mind when you were on that bed? Did
you at any point remember music and your dreams which could have gone
unfulfilled?
How do I start to describe the experience to you? It was a very bad
one but I thank God that I am lucky. The only question on my mind was
will I be able to walk again? I was so particular about that question
that my doctors would tell me, Mr man you will walk again. The doctors
told me I would not have been able to work again if I had delayed the
operation for few more weeks. I still don’t believe I am walking again
because what I saw in the hospital gave me a different impression about
life and I am grateful to God.
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