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Let's make it happen for gospel artists and gospel music.
This week we have our very own ASU EKIYE!!
Brief Profile of Asu Ekiye
Asu Ekiye was born in Sapele in present day Delta State of Nigeria in the late 1960's. An indigene of Tuomor in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State and Aleibiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State of Nigeria.Asu Ekiye is a graduate with a Degree in Accountancy from the University of Science And Technology Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria. Ekiye is married to beautiful Kunemofa and blessed with children.
As a renowned and talented African gosple artist, Asu Ekiye has recieved numerous awards all over the world.
- Niger Delta Arts Award - Most Popular Culture Friendly Artist 2007.
- TOMA AWARDS Today's Music Awards - Most Popular Gospel Album 2005.
- VIGOMA AWARDS - Most Popular Male Album 2005.
- Channel O Awards - Best African Gospel Artist 2005.
- DECROSS AWARDS- Best Selling Artist 2004.
- CHANNEL O AWARDS- Best African Gospel Artist 2004.
- NTA AWARDS- Best African Gospel Artist 2003.
- AMEN AWARDS- (Awards For Musical Excellence in Nigeria) - Gospel Artist of the Year 2003
As part of plans for the release of his much anticipated fourth album, the Prince of the Niger Delta has successfully shot the much talked about Eniye video, at a whooping four million naira (about $266,000.00); which the artist describes as ‘the most expensive and extravagant video I’ve ever shot. I have never done a video like this before’.
Asu Ekiye's Interview with EN Magazine
‘Our culture needs packaging’ – Asu Ekiye
Foremost Nigerian gospel music superstar Asu Ekiye, popularly known as the Prince of the Niger Delta, was in Akure, Ondo State as part of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs organized Youth Empowerment through Entertainment Project. The following are excerpts of his media parley with the press at the end of climactic show that wrapped up the training, capacity building and talent discovery tour, which spanned six weeks and nine states. EN!: What is the Youth Empowerment through Entertainment Project about?
Asu: The youth empowerment project is an initiative of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to explore areas of human development besides the formal catch-point, aimed at empowering the non-militant youths of the Niger Delta. Film and music have become not only the largest employers of labour, after government, but also great contributors to the national wealth of this country. Film and music have become the tools for image making, cultural diplomacy and international relations. It is also a vehicle for nation-building, character and opinion moulding. That is why we have decided to use film and music as a very vibrant medium to capture the young people and also to empower them, where informal talents are involved.
EN!: How long has this tour lasted and where exactly have you been to?
Asu: It’s an initiative for the Niger Delta people; so we have toured the nine (9) states of the Niger Delta. We started from Port Harcourt in Rivers State, went to Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia, Imo, and proceeded to Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, and now we are rounding up in Akure, Ondo state. So far it’s been very effective.
EN!: What do you intend to do with/to the talents discovered?
Asu: We were able to, in the first place, train over three thousand (3000) talented persons; out of which ninety (90) distinguished themselves and were discovered. Forty-five (45) of these talented youths will be rewarded in the movie/film category, and be involved in a major movie that will be shot later on where they will feature prominently in major characters and roles. While those who were discovered in the music category will, in the first instance, have cash awards; and also have the opportunity of having their first single recorded, sponsored by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. The intention is that they can all possibly fly or launch off to greatness from that foundation or platform. What the ministry is doing is trying to provide a proper foundation for people who are gifted to fly – when they have the minimum of encouragement I think the sky is going to be their limit. That’s the idea of the entire project.
EN!: What happens to the others?
Asu: The others have been trained. They have been exposed to major areas of the entertainment industry, and they have also been offered certificates of training, which can also become tools for development in whichever area they want to get involved in. The fact is that the ministry does not have the budget to empower all the people financially, at the same time. That’s why we made room for people to compete and we were able to pick out a few of them who would be empowered. In all I think it has been a very eventful training process for everybody. We sought persons from allied industries and credible guilds in the entertainment (film and music) sector were brought together to develop these people. The entire training process was completely free of charge. No monies were paid to anyone; participation forms were issued, at no cost, to interested persons; everything was free, and I think that is a strong impartation from the ministry. The bottom line is that in every field those who are outstanding always get some form of recognition over and above the rest. The outstanding persons will be given some more encouragement than those at the general lot.
EN!: Given the volatility of the region is recent times over perceived unfair treatment, do you think this initiative is enough to douse the anger of the youths of the Niger Delta?
Asu: The fact is this is just an alternative initiative. Why I call it alternative is the fact that the Federal Government has a massive and elaborate amnesty programme. The amnesty was basically meant for the militant youths, and we all know the extent to which the government went to ensure that the youths who were militant were assuaged. This is just an alternative. If people are militant and you give them amnesty and give them lots of money to be able to start one vocation or the other, and train them in many things; we also felt that hands should be spread to those who are non militant, and this is what we are doing with this project. The intention is so that those who are non militant will not have any reasons to want to be militant.
EN!: Having gone through the nine (9) states, how would you describe the youths of the Niger Delta in terms of talents?
Asu: The Niger Delta happens to be not just the golden hen that lays mineralogical potentialities, in Nigeria, but we also have the greatest and the highest number of gifted persons. This is also reflected at the national level. The greatest of musicians, comedians and actors are predominantly from the Niger Delta. That is why the enthusiasm and curiousity of the youths was so high that as soon as announcement of the project was made in the different states, it was massively patronized. Some of these talents were showcased in our finals that took place today in Akure, with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ably represented by the Honourable Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godswill Orubebe, and it was massive. This has been at the heart of President Goodluck Jonathan’s initiative. He has been very emphatic about empowering people in the non-formal sector. And I think that this is also one of the greatest achievements of this present regime.
EN!: How did you get involved with this project and how were you, as a musician, able to work in consonance with movie practitioners?
Asu: I happen to be a cultural gospel musician. I am not a hip-hop or R&B musician. I sing more of traditional music. I have represented the culture of the peoples of the Niger Delta probably more than any other artist in our history. I have reflected the heterogeneity of our roots in the music that I play, and I think they were looking for somebody who could relate with the young people from the perspective of still retaining or keeping the traditional roots of the people, and they thought I was qualified to do that. They also sourced persons, who could spearhead the movie/film category, and we were brought together for a collaborative effort; and I think the collaboration has been worthwhile. That’s what precipitated my involvement. Besides that, President Goodluck Jonathan had expressed his intentions to develop the entertainment industry to me, severally, even while he was Governor of my home state (Bayelsa). He once told me that he was planning a school for the non-formally gifted people, and when he eventually became president we were privileged to sit with him and discuss these issues again. And I think when it came to starting something like this they just felt it would be proper to have somebody who has been privy to some of these discussions, as a part of it.
EN!: Tell us about you career. Asu Ekiye – the Prince of the Niger Delta, has been silent for some time, since the release of your last album about three years ago. What are your plans? When are we expecting something new from you?
Asu: Presently, we have almost wrapped up work on our new album. It is an African album, and the video will be shot very soon and I have never shot any video on the scale we are planning. It’s going to be massive, powerful and quite expensive – the estimated cost of one track is, almost four million (N4m) naira. The concept is African, not strictly Niger Delta. It’s going to feature ten Egyptian dancers, ten Senegalese dancers, ten South African dancers, ten Ghanaian dancers, ten Nigerian dancers; all in a capacity environment where culture and good messages are on display. I have never done a video like that before. Besides that, the songs are quite alluring. I’ve been getting nothing but positive feedback from those who’ve heard the songs and they have all been very impressed with the quality of the music. The album is like a definitive statement that nothing can stop us. I came out with my first album ten years ago, and ten years after, we are still going stronger. The video will be shot before I travel to the United States. I’m billed for an eight-city tour of the US in the month of March, which will see me performing in Boston, Texas City, Houston, California, Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Michigan. It will follow the same pattern of performances I had in Europe last year. My new album and accompanying videos should be due for release by the time I return to Nigeria, and I tell you it’s going to be the bomb!
EN!: As an ambassador of culture, judging by your kind of music, how viable would you say the Nigerian culture is in terms of its marketability to the rest of the world?
Asu: I think the culture needs packaging. Our culture has not been properly spotlighted to the rest of the world – our products generally. When you walk into any Chinese restaurant anywhere in Europe, or even here in Nigeria, you will find more foreigners in the restaurant than the Chinese themselves. This is because of the way they have been able to package their food. We haven’t been able to package our culture. That’s talking about branding. I am doing something in the area of recreating our traditional dressing. I am trying to reinvent traditional dressing. I’ve worn some unique designs for a while that have caught the attention and acclaim of people for quite some time. That’s my own way of initiating a new sense of cultural awareness for indigenous Nigerian dressing, globally, and also to showcase our own gift in terms of culture, tradition, what we wear and the rest – a decent way of spotlighting our culture. That will eventually graduate to the opening of my own clothesline in Abuja, very soon. It’s going to be called Babcon boutique, an exclusively Niger Delta affair. And I think that will be the beginning point of the showcasing of our giftedness. On the other hand, Nigerian designers like Moody, Dakova, etc., have actually done quite a lot of positive things for the image of this country.
EN!: What’s your take on the presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan? Do you think he’s the right candidate for the job?
Asu: Firstly, I will say that whoever aspires to become the president of this country, so long as he can take this country to the next level, deserves our total support. Having said that, to say that the president is the right candidate is to say the very least. It’s an understatement. I think Goodluck Jonathan is a divine reward for suppression, pulverization and marginalization. His candidature is a reward for the deprived peoples of the Niger Delta. His emergence is a reward for giftedness and endowment. His emergence is God’s way of wiping the tears of the Niger Delta people who struggled for so long, yet never had a stake in nationhood. It is so ironic that God had to go to the very first community to give us oil in Nigeria, the Ogbia community, to produce a president of Niger Delta extraction for the first time. That is very symbolic. I’m fanatical about him. This is the first time in my life that a president knows me by name, and I know him, personally. I think that with all he has done so far in the few months he has been President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria he has shown strong indications that if given ample opportunity, he will transform the system. Look at the power sector initiative, look at the petroleum sector – queues are no longer on our filling stations. Look at the initiative in the Niger Delta – his collaboration with late President Yar’Adua brought forth the amnesty programme and there has been peace in the Niger Delta. I think Goodluck Jonathan is the man for the now, and I’ll be cutting short my US tour just to come back home and vote for him.
extracts from www.asuekiye.com
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