Music has taken me to places I never expected –Akin Shuga, crossover artiste

Akinloye Tofowomo, popularly known as Akin Shuga, is a talented musician who had polio at age five. Now the leader of one of Nigeria’s top music bands – Shuga –  in this interview  talks about how, as a son of a judge, he managed to carve a niche for himself in the entertainment industry despite his disability

You were not born with polio; at what point in your life did you encounter the disease?

I had polio when I was five years old but it didn’t really affect my childhood because I was treated nicely and normally by my family. My father was a judge, childhood wasn’t difficult for me despite the fact that we had discipline at home. Every child in the family had chores they were expected to perform, including me. That’s the way I was brought up.

However, it was when I was eight years old that I realised that I was different from the others and that there were limits to what I could do as an individual. Children would always use this to taunt and call me all sorts of names. There was a particular incident that occurred when I was in primary school; there was a child who forcibly collected the stick I was using to support myself. The child wanted to see how I would survive without it but what I did to him, he would never forget in his life.

There were similar instances like that and in all the cases, I made sure I dealt with the boys thoroughly. For these acts, fellow students gave me all sorts of funny nicknames. When I was in secondary school, they called me ‘Reckless’ because of the way I used to rap. I was also called ‘Dupompe’ because of the way I walked. They were names you wouldn’t like but of course once they stuck to you, there was nothing you could do about it.

I had my primary and secondary school education in Enugu because my father was being transferred often from one place to another as a judge. Enugu was a nice and lovely city; I still remember it.

How did the transfers shape your growing up?

My father also worked in places like Calabar, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, and Lagos during those years and indeed all those environments rubbed off on me as an individual. As a matter of fact, I can speak Igbo fluently even though I am from Ile Oluji in Ondo State. I am glad to have experienced life in all these different cities across Nigeria as a young boy because it contributed to how I was able to develop myself as an individual and expanded my world view.

What sort of discipline did you experience under your father since he was a judge?

The home was a place ruled by total discipline. My father always told me that whoever pitied me was actually my enemy. Regardless of my condition, I was made to do everything the other children in the house did. As a matter of fact, discipline was the watchword for us in the house.

Whenever we were coming home for holidays from school, my father would have drawn a timetable of activities that we would engage in, including chores for every one of us. So, there was no room for messing up. Whenever we were around, we always worked on the farm in the compound under the supervision of my father and our gardener. Whoever failed to impress him would be made to clear grass as punishment. It was that tough.

With that sort of discipline, how were you able to get into music, considering the fact that most judges would want their children to do something they consider to be more serious?

I first attended the University of Ibadan but later left for the Lagos State University, where I studied Political Science before subsequently proceeding to the University of Lagos to do Business and Industrial Law because of my father. The two of us were already having issues over what he wanted me to do at the time but because I had a different idea, it became a big problem for us. My father wanted me to become a lawyer or a doctor or one of those things, so he would always compare me to his colleagues’ children, who were also judges.

But I wasn’t thinking about all of those professions; I had my mind fixed on music. Music has always been a passion for me but it was never encouraged in the family. As a matter of fact, you dared not sing at home if you didn’t want trouble from my father. At that time, anyone who was in music was looked down upon, so it was a big challenge telling my father that it was what I really wanted to do. As a result of this, I saw music only as fun, and not something that could put food on the table.

Eventually, an uncle, who is dead now, introduced me to real music. He operated a joint around Allen Roundabout in Lagos and I used to visit him there on some occasions to watch artistes perform. We were living in Ikoyi then, so to have access to that place, I would tell my father I was going to Ibadan whereas I was going to meet my uncle at Ogudu, from where we would head to Allen.

That was how genuine interest in professional music started for me. One night when the band that was supposed to perform failed to turn up, I pleaded with my uncle to allow me to perform. After much persuasion from the people around, he grudgingly allowed me to perform. That was my first performance, and it was from there that the journey into music proper started for me.

At the time I started music, I didn’t know that people got paid for singing. In fact, I would perform at shows at the time without knowing or even minding if I was going to get something or not. It was much later that I realised that there was actually money to be made in the business.

After realising that my life was headed in the direction of music, I went back to school in 2010 to study music in Massachusetts, United States of America. I took that step because I wanted to understand the nitty-gritty of music business and how to become successful at it. I wanted to do music differently from the others, I didn’t just want to perform at shows like the others who were given paltry sums and had no understanding of the business aspect of music. It was from that knowledge that the Shuga Band was formed and all other businesses related to it.

The training I got has really helped me in organising music as a business. Now, the band has a record label, a sound rental business and several other things under Shuga Entertainment. As a matter of fact, music has afforded me the opportunity to go to places I never would have imagined that I would go to. It has also allowed me meet important people who ordinarily would be difficult to meet. These are some of the things that bring me joy.

Your father wanted you to be a lawyer; you chose music, were you able to make him bless your decision before he passed on?

This issue brought us problems till he died. There were always conflicts between us as a result. It got so bad that at a point I had to remove my father’s name from mine because he warned me never to use his name whenever I was singing or performing at a show. That was how I started bearing Akin Williams; I couldn’t use my surname, Tofowomo, as a result of my father’s threat and disapproval of my music career. It was a big problem between us.

Though we made up before he eventually died, he still didn’t totally approve of my doing music as he expected me to be a lawyer. However, my mother has accepted me and my music and I am grateful to God for that.

What were some of the challenges you faced in the earliest stages of the formation of Shuga Band?

We had issue with instrumentalists always moving in and out of the band, while another aspect was the fact that I couldn’t sing in Yoruba because of my accent. I had to sit down and learn how to sing in Yoruba just to service a section of my clients.

As an artiste with special needs, how difficult has it been for you to find acceptance from members of the public?

There has been no problem in this regard. My talent is enough to speak for me. When Nigerians know that you are good at what you do, they accept you wholeheartedly regardless of your condition.

Would you say you are fulfilled as a music artiste?

To a large extent, yes, I am fulfilled. I am fulfilled in the sense that I am doing what I love. However, I still would love to change the way people living with disabilities are treated in Nigeria. To show my support for people in this category, we established the Shuga Limb Foundation to not just advocate for the rights of people living with disabilities but also educate them on how to make meanings out of their lives.

The system in Nigeria is still not paying attention to the needs of people living with disabilities, in this age and time when other nations are taking this issue seriously; I am yet to see that type of concern in the country.

Have you had problems accessing a public building or even climbing a stage to perform as a result of your disability?

Yes, on several occasions. Before every show, we notify the venue managers of my condition and for them to provide a stage that would be easily accessible, but then, only few of them listen to us. If I must perform at such places, I am able to access such places only with the support of people.

The fact is that most public places in Nigeria have no consideration for people living with disabilities. This is a big shame considering how educated we are as a people.

Were you stigmatised at any point despite the fact that you are a known music artiste?

I have never suffered stigma, I have been fortunate in this regard. But then, I feel that I must use my position to clamour for the rights of people in this category, especially those who are being stigmatised daily by the society.

It is wrong to stigmatise people living with disabilities because we would be compounding their problems as a society rather than making life easier for them. This should stop.

At what point did you meet your wife and what attracted her to you?

We met at an event 11 years ago, became friends and got married soon afterwards. I was in another relationship that ended in rejection from the lady’s family when I met my wife. The lady’s family came up with all sorts of excuses after we had done introduction and was preparing for engagement and marriage proper. They eventually succeeded in making sure the two of us never married each other.

I was able to move on quickly because I didn’t allow the incident to bother me. I looked at it that it was the lady and her family that had lost a good husband and son-in-law. That was the truth; they were the losers, not me. So, with this mindset, I am able to live above experiences like this.

After becoming friends and hanging out on a few occasions, the closeness between the woman who is my wife today, and I developed into love and before we knew it, we were married.

At 44, do you think your life could have taken a different turn if not for your encounter with polio?

I do not think so. I have no regrets whatsoever because God purposely designed my journey to take this path and I am extremely grateful to Him for this.

You were recently made a polio ambassador by Rotary Club, how did that happen?

Rotary Club came to me once and said that they wanted me to perform at one of the club’s events. While they were still deliberating how much to give to me as performance fee, I told them that I was going to play at the event for free. They couldn’t believe; it came as a big surprise to them.

So, after that encounter, they approached me to be their polio ambassador and because it fell in line in with what I was doing for people living with disabilities, I accepted. I am happy that I accepted that offer because it has been an amazing experience so far.

source: Punch