in a popular eatery in Lagos, while he sipped
from a glass of orange juice, the celebrated
highlife musician unveiled a few closely
guarded secrets.
"My father was the first man to drive from
Nigeria to Gold Coast (now known as Ghana)
in 1929. I got the name 'Rolling Dollar ' in my
school days in the early 1930s. I used to be
in the school football team. Whenever we
were about to play football, I would go to
the pitch with some dimes (American) in my
pocket. My sister regularly gave them to me.
It was her way of motivating me to face my
studies.
"I always spent the money on food during
break time. Every time my teammates saw me
with the money, they would said to me 'Fatai,
bring your dollar, let us roll it. Head or tail?'
That was how I got the name and it has stuck
since then," the seasoned musician said.
When conversation shifted to the source of
his incredible energy at 85 years, he simply
smiled and said, "I have only God to thank
for this. I have no special health programme
or prescription that I follow. I don't take
herbs or special drugs to give me energy. I
am natural and that is why I can sit here and
tell you it is God's grace. But I don't abuse
food or drinks. I free my mind from worries.
The things that I cannot change, I hand them
over to God. He created me, He knows my
beginning and ending, as well as my strength
and weaknesses."
One thing gives this spritely artiste joy,
though: the fact that providence had used
well-meaning Nigerians to lift him from
poverty in his old age.
"There is this prayer in Yoruba, which says,
'Kaale so mi ju owuro lo' (Let my old age be
prosperous). In my years of need, I used to
say that prayer. Now everything has come to
pass. I suffered a lot, but God used Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu to elevate me and change my
status. I am immensely indebted to this
great man called Tinubu. God used him to
turn my defeat to victory. Here I am today
smiling. My name is everywhere again," he
said, smiling broadly.
Interestingly, the old man confessed that he
is hooked on s*x.
"My weakness is s*x. Music is my drug and
s*x is my therapy. Even at my age I cannot
stop having s*x. My youngest wife knows this.
I am strong and very agile in that
department and s*x has never weighed me
down. If anything, it helps me to release
tension. Mind you, I am not recommending it
for anybody because what is good for my
system might not be healthy for you," he
said.
Punch Nigeria
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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