Remembering KING SUNNY ADE FESTIVAL 2012 (Part 1)

By Senior Chief ‘Lekan Alabi

IBADAN – KING SUNNY ADE (KSA) FESTIVAL 2012, took place 10 years ago, starting with a world press conference addressed jointly by the celebrant, Otunba (Dr) Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, MFR, alias KSA and my humble self, Senior Chief ‘Lekan Alabi, the Maye Olubadan of Ibadanland, the first Culture Ambassador of the National Museum and Monument, Ile Ife, and Chairman of the KSA FESTIVAL 2012, at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos State.

The KSA FESTIVAL 2012 was a multi-packaged celebrations of the 50th year of KSA on stage; the 46th year of his first single record (ALAANU L’OLUWA) and the 35th year of his crowning as the KING OF JUJU MUSIC, following his win of the vox pop conducted by the now-defunct Entertainer magazine of the also defunct Sketch Publishing Company Limited, Ibadan.

After the world press conference at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, I embarked on the world awareness tour of the Festival, starting with a courtesy call on the then Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida, at the Nigerian High Commission, London, UK.

Other features of the KSA FESTIVAL 2012 were courtesy calls by KSA, my humble self and members of the Planning Committee, on the late Olubadan Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1; the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111; the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade 11 and the Ibadan Tennis Club, Iyaganku GRA, Ibadan, where KSA was crowned by the Alaafin Adeyemi 111 in 1977.

Also present at the event was Mr. Felix A. Adenaike, the then General Manager of the Sketch Publishing Company Limited, Ibadan and the late Mr Olutade Makinde, then Editor of the ENTERTAINER magazine.

Grand Finale of the KSA FESTIVAL 2012 took place on 23rd November,2012 at the Ibadan Civic Centre, Agodi GRA, Ibadan, Oyo State with a dance party, chaired by the late Governor Isiak Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and the late Alaafin Adeyemi 111, who crowned KSA in 1977 in Ibadan, as the Royal Father of the Day.

It would be recalled that the defunct Sketch Publishing Company Limited, Ibadan organised the crowning of Prince Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye as the King of Juju Music.
Senior Chief ‘Lekan Alabi, the Maye Olubadan of Ibadanland writes from Ibadan.