How Friends and Industry Leaders Honoured Sound Sultan At Memorial Symposium

TonyJuly 14, 2023

2 minutes read

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Olanrewaju ‘Sound Sultan’ Fasasi may have been gone for two years, but the values he stood for and vigorously used his talent to ‘evangelise’ were brought to the fore on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, as friends, colleagues and Nigerian entertainment industry leaders gathered in Lagos to honour the late multi-talented artiste.

For more than two decades, Sound Sultan’s art confronted issues ranging from corruption and bad governance to anti-social vices, and in honour of his legacies, his friends and colleagues under the Sound Sultan Eternal convened a one-day symposium on his second-year remembrance to address a path to healing and reconciliation after a divisive 2023 general election that divided the nation, including entertainers, along religious and ethnic lines.

Tagged “FRACTURED BONDS: Path to Reconciliation and Healing Post-2023 Elections,” the symposium, which was held at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, brought together leading figures like Nack Apparel, Adasa Cookey, Chioma Akpotha, Larry Gaaga, Basketmouth, M.I, Aramide, Timi Dakolo, Yemi Adamolekun, Ayo Animashaun, Zaaki Azay, among many others.

Efe Omoregbe, the team lead of Sound Sultan Eternal said in his opening speech that Sound Sultan left a legacy that deserved to be carried on by his friends and fans, and that the purpose of the event was to celebrate the life he lived and the person he was. He also pointed out that we should not wait until people pass on to celebrate the great things they have done.

The Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Center, Reverend Sam Adeyemi, who was the keynote speaker, stated that although Sound Sultan was not openly religious, it was evident in his lifestyle and character that he was a “man of faith”.

In his words, “Our good friend, Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi, is not here anymore, but he’s still here. If he was not here, why would we be gathered today?”.

Adeyemi urged the attendees to pay attention to their foundational values in order to live a life worthy of celebration when they’re gone.

In their respective remarks, the panelists, Desmond Elliot, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, Veteran Comedians Ali Baba and Okechukwu ‘Okey Bakassi’ Onyegbule, Imam Abdulhakeem Kosoko, Founder of HipTV, Ayo Animashaun, and Michael Ugochukwu Stephens a.k.a Ruggedman, took turns to proffer solutions to some of the challenges and issues causing division among Nigerians.

In the words of Imam Kosoko, we were created to “recognise and take advantage of our diversity”.

According to Desmond Elliot, the past and present governments need to understand that Nigerians are a “special kind of people” and that the way to bring back unity is to “establish reorientation and trust between government and the people”.

Comedian Okey Bakassi, however, stated that “the core enemies of unity in Nigeria are the politicians” and that “Nigerians are united by common suffering and shared prosperity”. Ali Baba’s solution is credible elections, while Chioma Akpotha emphasized the right of Nigerians to “vote in peace without being intimidated”.

Ruggedman also called for a removal of the immunity clause in the 1999 constitution which he said would help Nigerians check the excesses of politicians.

Sound Sultan passed away at 44 on July 11, 2021, following a hard-fought battle with Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma (AITL). He was buried in Brooklyn, New York, United States on Sunday, July 11, 2021.

Outside music and acting, Sound Sultan also made a great impact in basketball.