Iyke Bede
In response to allegations of maltreatment by a former drummer of Wasiu Ayinde (K1 De Ultimate), Ayankunle Ayanlowo, the renowned Fuji singer recently addressed and dismissed the claims during a formal discussion with media professionals at his Mayegun Royal Resort located in Ijebu Ode, Ogun state.
During the session, K1 provided insights into his relationship with the band, along with its inception, describing the format with which band members were recruited.
“Our band is like an organisation that hires and fires,” he explained. “It’s an organisation where if you signify intention to join, you are taken onboard, and by tomorrow if you find something else, you can opt out.”
Founded solely by him, the ‘Solo Makinde’ singer provided the backdrop for the band’s early days when its members numbered between seven and nine, 52 years ago—a far cry from the current team, which now boasts 28 members.
“When I established my band, it was my sole idea to do so, and I called other people to partake in it. You must have the qualities of a leader to do anything like that. What is so difficult to manage is the coming together of people.”
He added, “When I see that my ways are not yours, I can easily drop you. If it aligns and you want to opt out, I’d advise you not to do so. So, that’s how I formed my band.”
Like many bands, K1 explained that his band members had occasionally left to pursue other dreams and then returned. He further clarified that Ayanlowo had left the band on numerous occasions.
“A majority of them run away on our trips abroad. I have a majority of them who are not genuinely in love with music. They only showcase what they feel they have a talent for, and we tolerate them with the approach of ‘with time they will grow.’ But they have their plans.”
Despite the shortcomings of his band members, he emphasized his commitment to seeing the band thrive, often resorting to borrowing funds to sustain them. K1 pointed out that the band members may not fully appreciate the sacrifices made on their behalf, as they sometimes allow their egos to push them towards threatening to leave. He says this has huge implications of setting him back as their leader.
“They’ll threaten you by saying they would run away. Mine isn’t the first time. A whole band had travelled with Shina Peters, my friend, and they eloped.”
Addressing the slave-master relationship alleged by Ayanlowo that left him underpaid, K1 elucidated that he always documented payments made to all his band members. At the meeting, he provided payment records made to his band members weekly. One such payment shared revealed a sum of over N120,000, a wide disparity from the N8,043 per show Ayanlowo had claimed in a previous interview.
K1 further revealed that the sharing formula for income between him and the band was initially set at a ratio of 60:40. Over time, with the increase in band members, it was adjusted to 40:60, with both sides donating ten per cent of earnings to pay management staff.
Aside from payments made to performing members on tour, he explained that there is a culture of paying members who were not able to go on tours overseas.
“In my band, there is an order that those who died in active service get paid. Their families still go to collect whatever money we give to them. If we travel abroad, those who didn’t come with us get paid even if they are in Nigeria,” he said.
In response to the seized passports alleged by Ayanlowo, K1 insisted that he was not in the custody of his passports, clarifying that if he had such in his possession, he would not be able to leave any overseas country without being queried.
“Ayankunle, who is complaining that they withheld his passport, ran away from the band in England while we were on tour. He ran away with two other people in the band. He took his passport along. That was in the 90s,” said K1, describing the first instance when the ex-drummer eloped. He maintained that the said passport is still at the British High Commission.
Discussing Ayanlowo’s financial circumstances, K1 said his band members are well-to-do. He claimed Ayanlowo’s fate was peculiar to him.
