Nigerian Music Icon Oliver De Coque is Dead!

From sunnewsonline.com

Death seems to be having a feast on Nigerian musicians as highlife maestro Oliver de Coque on Friday joined the growing list of dead musicians in recent times. Oliver de Coque who was crowned king of highlife music by Alaafin of Oyo in 1994 joined Sammy Needle, Steve Rhodes and Sunny Okosun who died recently.

Oliver de Coque died at a private hospital on Friday about 5pm of health issues related to cardiac arrest. He was rushed to the hospital by 2pm after he complained of dizziness and three hours later the Anambra-born highlife musician gave up the ghost.

Oliver de Coque during his lifetime was an accomplished musician who became popular with his brand of highlife. He started playing music in 1974 after he learnt how to play guitar from Piccolo and he has about 86 albums to his credit. He played a major role during civil war playing music for the Biafran soldiers.

What makes his death pathetic is that his mother’s corpse is still in the morgue. She died sometimes ago and has since been deposited in the mortuary because Oliver was planning to finish the house he was building in his village.

He shot to limelight in 1979 when he released People’s Club Ka anyi bili be ndu (People’s Club let us enjoy ourselves). The album was said to have sold over 2 million copies at the time. Among his hits are Funny Funny Identity, Ugbana, Easter Special, Ana enwe obodo enwe, and a couple of others. Messiah his first album was released in 1974.

He will be remembered for his praise singing and unique voice, and his shinning bears. His image loomed large across the nation and even beyond. His popularity was not in doubt such that so many people thought he was a Cameroonia. Oliver who got married at the age of 20 is survived by children and grand-children.

This is not only a national loss but also a personal one because every new year eve for the last two years, i always get to see oliver De coque playing live in my villa. I'm always called on to do the flier for the event, and i never knew last December ('08) will be that last time i get to see this great musical icon. Adieu Akanite.

Greed as an African Mentality

Africa is one of the continents God’s blessings have been showered on more.

The continent is blessed with a lot, notably: rich farmlands and natural reserves, expensive stones such as: Gold, Diamond, Manganese etc. In spite of all these, it seems as though, the continent has been the last on the block, though the other four are not competing with us. We are last because there is lack of schools, hospitals, food, good drinking water and a whole lot more. The problems have become very serious that even 5 year olds know what is going on talk less of me, a 25 year old.

What then are the causes of all these. A taunting question a lot of people ask but dare not to provide answers to. Greed is one disease that has eaten deep into the flesh of Africans. The African mentality is, all for me and none for them. Have you ever thought about why that great grand father of yours sacked everybody off those family lands of, in the name of some custom? That is the African mentality we're talking about

Presidents hoard billions of dollars in foreign accounts in Switzerland and other parts of Europe and America at the peril of the masses The mentality is GREED, the excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves.

Our cultural and moral values have been thrown to the dogs in the name of greed and selfishness. Young people no longer give way to the elderly on public transport, but rather compete shamelessly with them. Old men and women are left to solve their own problems at banks and other public places. If I don't get mine done nobody else does, negative greed attitude persists everywhere on the continent.

It is only on the African continent that a CEO or manager must sleep with a lady looking for job, before that job can be given out. Greed is part of mankind; a lot will argue no that shouldn’t at all be the case because it’s what is making us go down the drain as a continent.

Unless these attitudes change, the numerous problems on the continent such as disease, hunger, poverty, mass illiteracy, etc will continue. Unless the presidents stop sending the tax payers' monies to Switzerland, the people will continue to die out of hunger. The manager must give out the jobs on merit, if not, the ladies will be prostitute on the street tomorrow. Young people learn to assist the elderly when their in need, because we'll one day be in that position and need the assistance of others.

Let us know very well that the five of us were born but four have already gone far, let us change our attitudes for the best. I believe in Africa and know there is a lot install here for us.