And the king fell ‘Yakata’ on the runway of indiscretion

Self-glorification by way of the conferment of verbose aliases and honorifics on themselves, has long been the vogue among Nigerian music artists. Those from the Yoruba country are most famous for this self-indulgence. First generation exemplars of the juju music genre, Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi and Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye for instance, started out with simple stage names like Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Ade, easily discernible as emanating from their names at birth. Obey would subsequently metamorphose into Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey to underscore his self-proclaimed leadership of that brand of music. Sunny Ade on his own part became simply King Sunny Ade, acronymed as KSA.

Cyril Bamidele Abiola Alele desired to play in the the big league, so he named himself Admiral Dele Abiodun. The succeeding generation of juju entertainers includes Omoba Segun Adewale from a royal family in Osogbo, and Oluwasina Peters, who both formed Sir Shina Adewale and the Superstars. The battle for turfs amongst Yoruba musicians of that milieu extended to Ismaila Dele Bello who adopted the stage name Ahuja Bello. The “Ahuja” prefix was derived from the name of a Japanese amplifier popular among the instrumental pool of musicians those years.

Practitioners of fuji music another popular specie of Yoruba music, took off from where their older colleagues began. Sikiru Ololade Ayinde Balogun, largely acclaimed as the pioneer of fuji music oscillated between two simple stage names, Ayinde Barrister and Barry Wonder respectively. His contemporary who projected the same variant of music, Abdulrasaq Kolawole Ilori opted for the stage emblem of General Ayinla Kollington to underscore his perceived superiority to other performing artists in his prototype of music. Wasiu Omogbolahan Adewale Ayinde, who was mentored by Ayinde Barrister was convinced he was the greatest fuji phenomenon ever. He sandwiched the acronym, WA derived from his name, Wasiu Ayinde, in between two topmost honorifics in royalty and military valour respectively. He profiled himself both a king in his art, and a “Marshal,” a superior title to that of “General” previously adopted by Kollington Ayinla. He turned out therefore as King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal 1 (KWAM-1), the figure “1” implying his presumed unassailable position as the headliner of his music genre. Such are the backstage theatrics among Nigerian artists which infused colour and amusement to the cultural scene.

Wasiu Ayinde has been dominant on Nigeria’s artistic, creative and musical scene within the last five decades. Just like every musical and performance prototype has spawned exemplars, fuji music has grown through generations and produced its fair share of professionals. Notable among them are Adewale Ayuba the Bonsue fuji exponent; Wasiu Alabi, Pasuma Wonder; Abass Akande, Obesere; King/Dr Saheed Osupa; KS-1 Malaika; Sakaniyu Ejire, Rahimi Ayinde, Fatai Adio, and Iyanda Sawaba. Wasiu Ayinde, however, has been able to carve a niche for himself at home and abroad, sought after for shows and events, especially cities with substantial populations of Yoruba people. He was guest of President Bola Tinubu in Aso Villa, within weeks of Tinubu’s inauguration and has performed at the seat of government. Such has been the upward trajectory of Wasiu Ayinde over several years.

Fate thrust him from the facelessness of the dust, mud, spyrogyra-ed neighbourhoods of Mushin, Maroko, Makoko and similar ghettos to the fore of contemporary pop culture with all its appurtenances. Fame and fortune have come with his success. His children attend some of the best schools across the world, his landed addresses, sprawl at home and abroad. Not forgetting long columns of consorts flinging voluptuous busts and bursting buttocks at his face in every performance. KWAM-1 dines with kings, he wines with political deities. When he lost his mother earlier this year, no less a personality than President Bola Tinubu placed a call to commiserate with him on his loss. Wasiu Ayinde made a public show of the call, placed the President on speaker phone, reported the dialogue and hoisted it on the internet.

Beyond flaunting himself an artistic royal and has festooned himself with the necklaces and beads, Wasiu Ayinde has indeed been decorated and decked by traditional titles nestling in the one dozen territory. Back in 1999, the former Oba of Lagos, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan, installed him the Oluomo of Lagos, prime son of the palace. Two decades later, the immediate past Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi adorned him with the title of Maiyegun of Yoruba land. The recently transited Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona in 2023, made him Olori Omo-Oba of Akile, Ijebu land, primus inter pares amongst the princes of Ijebu land. A year before that, former President Muhammadu Buhari had conferred Wasiu Ayinde with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger, (MON). He is 68 and already knocking on the doors of the club of septuagenarian senior citizens. Literally speaking, Ayinde’s neck bears the the lead weight of inevitable responsibility.

KWAM-1 overreached himself outside the perimeters of the palace where he is accustomed a pampering protocol, complete with the red carpet, Tuesday August 5, 2025. He chose a wrong place, the marketplace of the full view of the global eye, to throw the kind of tantrums which will haunt him into the twilight of his life and career. Running late for an early flight, out of Abuja, the federal capital, to Lagos, Wasiu Ayinde, bearing a gold flask containing some liquid, attempted to get on the airplane with his flask. Aviation officials explained to him that he would not be allowed to board the flight with a vessel which contained more than 100 millilitres of liquid. Ayinde, whose renditions are renowned for self-adulating panegyrics, sought to fling himself in the face of the aviation officials.

Oluranti Ogoyi, the delectable, self-confident female Captain of the flight who was running late for the prosecution of her first movement for the day, left the cockpit and attempted to mediate. Ayinde viewed her with a condescending mien which asked the ta ni eleyi, who the hell is this question even without speaking. “Who is this brat wanting to know what KWAM-1 is carrying in his gold flask?” Aviation officials maintain Ayinde had spirit in the flask, the singer maintains it was water. Whatever it was, he splashed the content from the vessel on Captain Ogoyi who was rightly and expectedly incensed. This princess will not fly this disrespectful, boastful, arrogant, errant king. Aircraft door shut for procedures, Wasiu Ayinde was not done. He made frantic calls, ostensibly to the airline owner, Kunle Soname, who, coincidentally, is his kinsman from Ijebu land.

He rested his arm on the nose of the plane, the way you would rest on your car, as if saying “this aircraft is going nowhere if I’m not boarded.” Aviation personnel continued to appeal to him not to obstruct the flight or put himself in harm’s way. If nobody has told Captain Oluranti Ogoyi this, let me express my wholehearted admiration for her no-nonsense resolve to prosecute her flight despite the misconduct of a musician weighed down by an oversized ego. Taxiing from the parking point of her plane after being cleared as we hear, irrespective of whether some vainglorious music monarch desired a haircut with the razor-sharp, metal wing of her plane, was the right thing to do. I commend her courage in the face of brazen intimidation. Indeed, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), would do well to reinstate her licence and that of her co-pilot, Ivan Iloba, confiscated in the immediate aftermath of the KWAM-1 saga, expeditiously. They are young professionals who should be encouraged and further mentored.

Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, moved swiftly to issue a six-month “no fly” ban on Ayinde. He is not to be found within the precincts of any Nigerian airport, until February 6, 2026. But things may just get worse for him. The NCAA announced at the weekend that KWAM-1’s “no fly” ban is indefinite. This is just as investigations into the Abuja airport incident have been activated. If global best practices are followed, KWAM-1 may pay a few visits to consultant psychiatrists to determine the true state of his mental health. He will receive generous doses of antidepressants and be put to sleep again and again, to help manage his temperament. At the end of the day, if gold standard penalties are applied, he could be slapped with a two-year sentence, which could see him commemorate his 70th birthday in 2027, in Kuje prison, in Abuja.

As the old saying goes, to whom much is given, much is expected. For whatever contributions Wasiu Ayinde has made to the cultural sector, domestically and globally, it was totally beneath him to put his country to ridicule the way he did on Tuesday August 5. Before he came onto the entertainment scene, there were the Ebenezer Obeys, the Sunny Ades, the Dele Abioduns, among other living legends. Younger stars like the Sunny Nejis, Dbanjs, Wande Coals, 9ices, Burna Boys, Wizkids, Davidos, Tems’, Tiwa Savages, Rhemas, Asakes, Flavours, pay KWAM-1 due obeisance whenever and wherever they encounter him. He has disappointed them by this runway misdemeanor.

The virus of Ayinde’s show of ignominy is sadly catching on. An incident where a female traveller on an Ibom Air flight in Lagos assaulted a flight hostess who reportedly dared request her to switch off her telephone just before takeoff, has been trending since yesterday. The said lady equally harassed intervening aviation officials who demonstrated unusual restraint in her moment of madness. That is the KWAM-1 bug catching on. Let’s hope the International Civil Aviation Organisation, (ICAO), does not flag Nigeria as potential aviation risk zone, after recent upgrades in global safety ratings. It is good KWAM-1 has broadcast an apology and espoused further on this in the lyrics of a weekend performance in Lagos, openly pleading for forgiveness. But then a threat which he recorded, in which he vowed to take his pound of flesh, on the business of Kunle Soname, the proprietor of Valuejet the airline with which he had a brawl, is trending. Where is the place of Soname an investor in Ayinde’s Abuja horror showing? Or is there something we are missing?

Olusunle, PhD, fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors (FANA), is an adjunct professor of creative writing at the University of Abuja.