- Safiu Kehinde
Veteran Nigerian musician, Ebenezer Fabiyi, popularly known as Ebenezer Obey, has dismissed claims of his death.
The 83-year-old music icon affirmed that he is alive, hale and healthy.
Obey made this known in a video shared on X on Tuesday morning in reaction to the rumours of his death which was heavily circulated on social media on Monday.
As captured in the video, the veteran rendered a brief musical performance with a blend of Yoruba, Pidgin, and English.
“Hello, my name is Professor Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi. Satan, you don lose o, Satan, you don lose o, you don pafuka. Na lie lie you dey talk, you don pafuka.” he sang before affirming that he alive.
“It is fake news that started a few hours ago claiming that I, Evangelist Obey, have passed on to glory. It is a lie. I am alive, and that is not the word Jesus has written.” Obey said.
NPO Reported that the music legend had last week attended the wedding of Priscilla Ojo, daughter of Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, in Lagos.
Born on the 3rd of April, 1942, Ebenezer Obey began his music career in the mid-1950s after moving to Lagos.
After tutelage under Fatai Rolling-Dollar’s band, he formed a band called The International Brothers in 1964, playing highlife–jùjú fusion.
The band was later rebranded into Inter-Reformers in the early-1970s, with a long list of Juju album hits on the West African Decca musical label.
Obey began experimenting with Yoruba percussion style and expanding on the band by adding more drum kits, guitars and talking drums.
He is renown for weaving intricate Yoruba axioms into dance-floor compositions.