So Prexy Sam Ola is a gospel artiste based in the United States of America. A determined man with a mindset for greatness, Prexy did not allow his poor background to deter him from achieving his goals in life. He was trained in different professions but found fulfillment in music only. He spoke with Sunday Oyemade on the effect of his humble background on his current achievements and his plans for the future. Excerpts:
Can you give us an insight into your background?
I was born in Iludun Ekiti in the Ilejemeje Local Government Area. My mother was from Iye Ekiti; so, I am fully an Ekiti man. I came to Lagos at the age of nine to live with my uncle at Bariga area where I had my primary and secondary education. I attended Howells Memorial Primary School and Ajayi Crowther Memorial Secondary School at Bariga before I later went to Imo State University to study Government and Public Administration. I proceeded to the United States of America for greener pasture and I studied nursing there.
Why are you not into any of the courses you studied?
I am naturally an adventurous man. Before I came to America, I had worked as a graphic designer; I always want to do something to keep body and soul together. In America, I wanted to pursue aviation because it had been my fantasy to fly a plane. I was admitted into Delta Royal Academy Flying School. Everything was set but my loan was declined.
When I saw that this could not fly, I went to a nursing school where I got my diploma. I was made to fall in love with the nursing profession by my mother in-law. She was a nurse and went about the job in a way that I could not but wish to be one. Unlike us in my family, my wife’s family is made up of nurses and singers. Although money still comes in from nursing, I am more fulfilled singing. I am happier and feel more relaxed seeing people happy when singing.
Tell us about your journey into music
I started my music career with the Foursquare Gospel Church in 1992 when I joined the group known then, as Glory Landers. There, I met Evangelist Kenny Olubanjo band and I left for kano, as I was led by the Lord in 1995. It was there I started reaching the unreached through my music ministry. This ministry was then called Brodaz band till I left Nigeria for the United States in 2007. When I got to America, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do with my ministry and He told me to sing. We were singing part-time, as the Lord was giving us the opportunity and I was going for my nursing job.
How many albums have you been able to produce?
To the glory of God, so far, we have three albums, Silekun, Sound of Africa 1 and 2; the fourth album is on the way.
How would you describe your childhood?
Like I said, I was living with my parents in Ekiti State before coming to Lagos to stay with my uncle. As a child of a carpenter, things were very tough for us. I didn’t wear my first shoes until I was 21 years old. I mean, it was that bad. My parents were very poor. My father was a carpenter and my mother, a petty trader; it was simply hard to get us fed.
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Whenever I saw other kids, looking good and sharp when they came home from Lagos or wherever they were from, I usually told my mother that I was going to do anything decent to make me have what those people had and look like those people. I was ready to work hard and live a comfortable and enviable life. I knew I could also become better than what I was then. Today, I thank God that we are living that dream and wish. Those children looked good in their beautiful outfits and hats.
They also had good food and all those good stuffs you can think of. As a very inquisitive and outspoken boy, I kept troubling my mother over this. I remember then, I would ask my mother, “Why do we always eat bread and sugar, as dinner or gaari with sugar, pap and water?” Then, my mother would tell me that it was because those people didn’t live in our village; they lived in Lagos. From her words, I simply concluded that living in Lagos would automatically give anyone all the good things of life. So, I decided to move to Lagos.
What was your experience like when you came to Lagos?
All did not go as I had thought. I could not even go to school immediately I came to Lagos. I had to continue in my world of carpentry. You know this vocation happened to be one linked with my family’s lineage. We are a generation of carpenters. Even in Lagos, my uncle was a carpenter. So, since my uncle was a carpenter, he could not afford to finance my education immediately I came.
I had to work with him for sometime before going to school. When I was eventually enrolled in the primary school, I felt like an outcast. I couldn’t speak the regular Yoruba everyone speaks in Lagos; I could not speak English Language like other children, and even the Pidgin English was a big problem for me. I was only able to speak the Ekiti dialect. For a long time, it felt terrible. I was like in a strange land. After a while, however, with God’s help and that of a few friends, I was able to learn and catch up fast.
What is the name of your record label and what informed the choice?
Swelerion Music International in America and in Nigeria Swelerion Music and Entertainment Limited. I like inventing words and this goes with my artistic nature. That was how we invented that name.
For how long have you been singing?
I have been singing for 24 years.
How would you describe the journey?
So far, I will say the journey has been wonderful. I love what I am doing. To the glory of God, it keeps getting better every day.
The journey is a very spiritual one. From the onset, I told God that I did not want to sing because I wanted to be rich and famous but to make people happy and give praises to His name. That was why I kept working as a nurse. I do not want any pressure. I thank God this has remained my resolute up till now. Doing this makes me fulfilled. Unlike in the secular world where they derive joy and fulfillment when they succeed and say “dey don blow,” I believe Christian artistes should make God bigger and greater.
For how long have you been married and where did you two meet?
I have been married now for over a decade. My wife is from Delta State in Nigeria. She belongs to the Acapella Singing Group, which consists of five ladies, called Rudel Sisters. They were the super stars of the Northern part of the country in the 90s. I became a friend of the group when they came to my concert.
We did a lot of hanging out then, including their house until we started dating. I then proposed to her and she said yes, the rest as they say is history today. Our marriage has been blessed with three kids, two handsome boys and a beautiful girl.
What attracted you to each other?
Singing and music generally was our point of attraction.
What is your comparison of the two worlds, Nigeria and America?
As far as I am concerned, there is no place like home, no matter the way everything may be. But to my children, America is their home. Well, I am an Ekiti boy; so, Nigeria remains the best place for me.
If not music, what would you have been doing?
Graphics and if not graphics, it would have been nursing.
How conducive is the environment to your dream in America?
The environment is okay. It is the type that will make one feel very comfortable, telling you all is cool but you know one needs to be careful not to relax too much.
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What is the most embarrassing thing a fan has done to you before?
I don’t really see them as fans; I believe and I know they are the reason I am here. I sing so that all of us can lift up the name of the Lord. So, any opportunity I have, I seize it to witness and to deliver the gospel of the Lord Jesus to people around. This is what He called me into and I feel no embarrassment about it. I am in service and always ready to do the work of Him that has called me.
How supportive are Nigerians to your dream over there?
100 per cent; they support me and I support them too.
Do you agree with the view of some people that Nigerian youths are lazy?
No, they are not lazy. They are very hard working but we can do more, as God gives us strength.
What advice do you have for young people and your colleagues?
I will urge them to do the little they can and leave the rest to God. They should be steadfast, immoveable in doing well and I believe in due time, things will work out, Ko seni to mola, no one knows tomorrow and no matter what anyone may feel, hard work pays any day.
What word do you have for Nigerian government?
I believe strongly that they need to do better. They should know that whatever goes around comes around and that there is God up above us all, who is watching everyone of us closely. In the area of resources managements, accountability, infrastructure, electricity, water, healthcare and basic needs generally, they owe the citizens more. They should put in more efforts.
