Armed robbers can never rob me, they respect me - Daddy Showkey declares
You were said to have been attacked by those alleged to be gunmen in your Lagos home shortly after you returned, could you tell us what happened?
Yes, they were assassins. They came to my house and killed one of my boys. Thank God I was lucky. Those guys were not armed robbers because in Nigeria today, no armed robbers can come to my house. It can never happen.
Why?
I grew up in the street of Ajegunle. I have always been a street boy. Armed robbers can never rob me. I have met a lot of them on the streets of Lagos several times and they will tell me Showkey Baba, we didn’t know it was you. Please, no vex, dey go. That respect is always there.
Armed robbers respect you? Do you have any connection with them?
That is a story for another day, Mr reporter.
So who were the people that came to my house?
The people that came to my house saw my son and asked him about my whereabouts, he said I was not around. My son went back inside and told one of my boys to go and attend to the guys at the gate, when he got there, they thought he was my bodyguard, so they shot him. They were inside my house for hours and they did not take anything away. Armed robber won’t come to my house and start asking of Showkey, they will face what they have come for and leave. But these guys were asking for me and when they didn’t see me, they left. I am sad because they killed one of my boys.
You were said to have been shot few months after that incident at your house, is that true?
Yes. I was shot inside a filling station in Lagos.
Why would anybody want to kill you?
I don’t know. I can’t even explain what could be responsible for that but I thank God that I have overcome that now.
Before you had that accident that kept you out of active music for almost ten years, the impression people had about you was that you had reached the eclipse of your career. Many people did not even know you had an accident until you came back. What do you have to say?
First of all, let me thank God that I am back again. Because If I had died before, during or after the accident, this interview will never happen. Talking about my career before the accident, you will agree with me that I have come a long way in the music industry. Myself and other old generation musicians set the ground rolling for today’s musicians and I am proud to say that.
But you will agree that at some point, Showkey’s name was not as pronounced as it used to be?
You can’t remain on top of your game for the rest of your life. There will be a moment when you will be forced to take the back seat and observe things, but that does not mean you are no more relevant or music has nothing to do with you again. The mistake most people make is that when they don’t see or hear about you, they quickly conclude that your life in music is over. I am not surprised that people didn’t know that I had an accident because I didn’t come out to tell Nigerians that I am down ooo, please help me.
Why? Are you saying that because you have the wherewithal to handle your predicament?
It is not about having the resources to handle my problem, it is more of my decision not to bother people with my problem. Why should I disturb them in the first place? Because they are my fans does not mean they should know about every step I take about my life. I asked myself one question which was, would Nigerians not have known if I was arrested for drugs or something capable of tarnishing my image?.
It seems you are sad that despite your popularity, Nigerians did not know that Daddy Showkey had a life-threatening accident...
No. I am not feeling any sadness in my heart. I am even happy right now. I can’t be happier. I am not bothered whether they know or they don’t. What matters to me is that I was able to handle my predicament through the help of God and some people who God used to help me. I am grateful to these people and I wish them well in all they do. They are my people now and they are my friends.
You have new friends now?
I didn’t say I have new friends. What I am saying is that I have learnt new lesson about life and I now know what friendship is about.
So none of your friends in the music industry came to the hospital to look after you?
The fact is that how many of them knew that I had an accident? How many of them knew which hospital I was admitted to?. It was not the matter of who was there or not, it was the matter of how I was able to handle my situation and managed everything very well. Another thing is that even those who would have come didn’t come because of one reason or the other but I am not bothered about that. Life goes on my brother. You live to learn and you learn to live. When on my sick bed, I read a report about my accident published by one national newspaper in Nigeria, I wept. I wept because that was the only newspaper that reported it.
What single lesson did that experience teach you?
Not a single one but many lessons but the chief of them is caution. I have learnt how to approach life with extreme caution. You know why? If Showkey had died in that accident, I am sure that by now people would have forgotten about me. Perhaps when they listen to any of my songs, they may feel like ouch! that was Showkey’s song. We missed him so much. The bitter truth is that life goes on.
What was running on your mind when you were on that bed? Did you at any point remember music and your dreams which could have gone unfulfilled?
How do I start to describe the experience to you? It was a very bad one but I thank God that I am lucky. The only question on my mind was will I be able to walk again? I was so particular about that question that my doctors would tell me, Mr man you will walk again. The doctors told me I would not have been able to work again if I had delayed the operation for few more weeks. I still don’t believe I am walking again because what I saw in the hospital gave me a different impression about life and I am grateful to God.
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