According to the family of the late veteran high life musician, who died June 12, Fatai Rolling Dollar didn't leave anything behind and now they are worried about how to cater for his younger children, especially how to keep them in school. Read the Punch report below...
The location was the Millennium Estate, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos residence of deceased highlife singer, Fatai Olagunju, otherwise called Rolling Dollar. His two wives, Zainab and Serifat, some of his children including Sikiru-who is the singer’s 50-year-old first son, wore a pensive mood as our correspondent walked into their home.
It was evident from their faces that they were yet to come to terms with the reality of the death of the 86-year-old songbird, Rolling Dollar, who breathed his last on June 12, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the acclaimed “fairest and freest” election in Nigeria. The musician shot to stardom a few years back via a successful album, Won Kere si Number Wa. But despite his fame, the family is worried about the education of his younger children.
One of the children, Jamiu, told our
correspondent that he was still saddened by the death of his father,
expressing uncertainty over his future. He explained that he and his
other siblings would miss their father’s pieces of advice.
The young Olagunju regretted that his late father was unable to fulfil the promise he made to him concerning his education.
Jamiu stated, “Anytime he was around, he
used to advise us on things we should do and the ones we should avoid.
He promised me that he would make sure I studied up to university level.
It is unfortunate that when my father was making the promise, he did
not know that he would die this year.”
He added that when the news of his
father’s death was broken to him, the first thing he remembered was the
promise he made to him, regarding his university education.
“When I was told about his death, I
remembered what he promised me. I also thought about my education. It is
my desire to be a singer like my father but I want to go to school
first. To honour my father, I will take to music someday. He became
popular as a highlife singer but I want to be a hip-hop artiste,” he
added.
Rolling Dollar might have arrived on the
big stage late in life but his works were recognised by highlife
lovers, music buffs and fellow musicians. After his death, President
Goodluck Jonathan was one of many notable individuals who praised the
good work of the late singer. Zainab, who had just finished saying her
prayers, told SUNDAY PUNCH that she was yet to believe that her
husband had left her forever. She recalled that she married the musician
after her first marriage failed, adding that Rolling Dollar was yet to
hit the stardom when he married her.
She said, “I was staying with an aunt at
Olorunsogo, Mushin area of Lagos about 13 years ago when I met him. I
used to see him pass by but I did not know that he had interest in me. I
was a bit sick when he called me on a Sunday. He jokingly asked me if I
would not mind preparing Ramadan food for him because it was the
fasting period. He later noticed some patches at both corners of my
mouth, indicating that I had been sick. I told him I had used some drugs
but he insisted on buying some more for me.”
Zainab said the musician did not even
stop at that. According to her, he also prepared rice and asked one of
his children to take some to her house.
She added, “I later learnt that the year
he met me was exactly three years after the death of his wife, who left
three children behind. We got married in 2001 and I promised to take
care of the children for him. His caring and honest nature drew me to
him.”
She further stated that the family was
apprehensive of how to cater for the children of the late artiste, who
she said, did not leave anything behind. Zainab appealed to his fans to
stand by them at their moment of grief.
Rolling Dollar’s younger wife, Serifat,
who said she bore a boy and a girl for the deceased singer, also
reiterated that their husband did not leave any money to train their
children.
When the highlife maestro was alive,
Serifat said he cared so much for the children and would do anything to
make them happy. But his death seemed to have caught her and the rest of
the family unawares.
“Our husband did not leave any money. We
hope his fans and government will stand by us. The major challenge we
are facing right now is how to ensure that our children continue their
education. I am a businesswoman and I only survive on the little profit I
make,” she stated.
Rolling Dollar’s eldest child, Sikiru, who said he left the Nigerian Educational and Development Council in 1996, told SUNDAY PUNCH that he left his father at seven.
He stated that he was unhappy because of
the inability to see his father before he died, adding that he was also
sick when he was informed about his ill-health.
Sikiru said, “My father is one man that I
like so much. I live at Ikenne in Ogun State. I was so sad when I was
told that he was ill because I was also indisposed at the time. I
thought that his sickness was not something serious because he was a
strong man until I was told of the urgent need to see him. Apart from my
sickness, I was also broke but I pleaded that those around him,
especially his wives, should take good care of him. Immediately I was
strong enough to move around, I set out for Lagos to see him but it was
unfortunate that he died before I could reach him. I was on the road
when I received the call about his death.”
Sikiru however eulogised his father’s
virtues, saying he was happy that God gave the family a wonderful father
who never maltreated his children
“My father taught us never to misbehave,
steal or look down on anybody. These are some of the virtues I imbibed
from him and I am happy to say that the lessons are of great value to
me. They have assisted my journey in life.”
Although 50-year-old Sikiru left his
father a long time ago, he said that he once followed him to a music
show in Port Novo, Benin Republic. He also said he visited him at
regular intervals and that during some of the visits, he watched his
rehearsals.
“He was a great performer. He was lively
on the stage despite his age and his sense of humour during
performances drew a large followership to him,” said Sikiru.
Folk singer, Segun Akinlolu, otherwise
known as Beautiful Nubia, described the late entertainer as a colourful
and youthful character who was always full of joy and life. Nubia said
each time he met the deceased artiste, he would give him a big hug and
pray for him.
“He was full of appreciation for our
music and called himself my ‘Number One Fan.’ He loved playing music and
each time he climbed the stage, he thrilled fans in a special way.
Nobody wanted Rolling Dollar to leave the stage. The last time I spoke
with him was a couple of months back. He appeared more subdued than
usual but we discussed his participation in this year’s Eniobanke Music Festival. It’s sad the he will not be there but we shall celebrate him at the festival,” Nubia said.
The Oh! What A Feeling singer
added that as Rolling Dollar was being remembered by friends and fans,
it was crucial for his legacy to be protected and sustained. He stated
that every artist is a blessing to the society and their passing should
always be met with positive reflection and honest effort to continue
their works and times in the collective memory of all.
On Thursday, the eight-day Fidau prayer
was held for Rolling Dollar who was buried in his house located in
Imaya, Ikorodu area of Lagos State. As sympathisers continue to call on
the family to commiserate with them, how to secure the future of the
children the artiste left behind is now the major concern.
The late singer was said to have been
wrongly diagnosed of malaria at the first hospital where he was taken
to. Another hospital in Surulere initially reportedly diagnosed him with
pneumonia. But after looking into his medical history, especially the
record from a US hospital where he was first treated before returning
home from his last trip a few weeks ago, further diagnoses revealed he
had cancer of the lungs.
Pa Dollar’s many wives and final wish
The musician married five wives and had
nine children. Two women who were with him until his death gave birth to
four of the children. The eldest of the four children is aged 12 and he
is in primary five. His first son said the late singer pampered his
children.
“My father would go to any length to
ensure the comfort of his children,” he said, recalling how he showered
him with gifts as the only child of his mother.
He added that the late entertainer used
to buy gifts from Domino stores in Lagos whenever he was returning from a
show a long time ago. He also created time to take his children to his
hometown in Ede, Osun State, before his death. Sikiru said his father
would fight any of his wives that beat his children.
One of the wives, Zainab, said she could
not fulfil the final wish of the late singer. Narrating Rolling
Dollar’s frantic effort to see his children before his death, Zainab
said he begged her to bring the children to him when he was at a
hospital in Surulere, Lagos. She said she was taking the children to him
the next day when she was told that he had passed on.
SUNDAY PUNCH also learnt that the late
singer never allowed women to cook his food till he died. One of his
wives said he took that decision to avoid being served a meal that
didn’t have the taste he wanted.
His two wives said he was not a rich man
in terms of monetary value, but he was wealthy when one considers the
name he left behind, his prestige and character. They said he had no
money in the bank but he was always happy when he began to sing.
Two weeks before his death, our
correspondent was at his Oko-Oba residence to interview him. It was
exactly three days after his return from the music tour of the US and as
he slept on a mat in his sitting room, he told our correspondent that
he was too sick to grant the interview that was earlier scheduled for
that day.
68 comments:
...Sad tale...
wow!!! how sad
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The truth is i don't feel sorry for them, for heaven's sake who make's babies at that old age!!!! I BEG TALK BETTER THING! RUBBISH!
Hmmmm.....wat can I say
na wa ooo. so sad.one wife is ok cos noone knows tomorrow. 2kids or 3kids maximum. cos this our nigeria economy don dey enter voicemail small small
@86 young kids? Well my advise: the wives shd prolly start trading or sthn small.
~D great anonymous!
How sad! But the fact is that their father made a bad bed for them to lay on.
No be just 'yesterday' dis baba die?
How come they are already dropping out of sch?
Abi they had dropped out before he died?#i wonder Ni o#
Sad tale sha!
Rubbish... Does it mean these ppl have bt depending on an 86 yrs old man to feed and catter for demselves?.... They don't have any oda source of livelyhood?... Where d fuck are his older children.....ahh wo....dis doesn't make any sense to me!!!..... I wish dem luck anyways
Is dis a new trend...in the entertainment industry.....u marry man way get 4 wives olready ...wot where u tinking?...he even has a 50 year old son...dy are nw indirectly begging dy public..*sighs* na only 4 Nigeria dis tins dy happen
Let them drop out of school fast. What were their monthers thinking making abaies with a man over 70? What silly sentiments are they trying to whip up? I don't pity them and I don't think anyone should waste his resources catering for a family that failed to plan based on reality. If Fatai Rolling Dollar died in his prime, say at 40 or 50, I would pity his wives and children he left behind. Please this story is a waste of space in a national daily. I'm surprised that Linda finds the story news worthy!
How is this our business? Mtchew! Omo berre, osi beere
@ 86yrs is a sudden and unexpected death to them? Haba! If I leave upto 86yrs I will extremely gr8ful to God. 86 fa!
Thank you o jare!I tire I just tire no be small,now dat he is dead go and collect chop money in his grave! wat nonsense!!!
Utter crap... This is what truly infuriates me...why depend on people blindly... at 50 you can't fend for yourself as well as your family? calling on fans and government...come on...rearing children like cattle and expecting others to cater to them. sheer irresponsibility!
he late singer was said to have been wrongly diagnosed of malaria at the first hospital where he was taken to. Another hospital in Surulere initially reportedly diagnosed him with pneumonia. I just tire 4 dis our country hospitals *spits* God help us @tweetest_boi
I mean come on...the guy just passed. If he didn't leave anything, then he never had anything so how did these people survive? I smell some folks are trying to cash icon his death. Sha. Shebi an one thing fowl dey chop before corn was discovered. I hate opportunists sha.
See nonsense oo rubbish so dey wanna tell me dey dnt have any oda means of livelyhood?Dat man is 86 where r his older kids so dey've bn dependin on him?even d one of 50yrs?mheen GOD 4giv me I dnt pity em @ all nd I also blame deir father 4 havin too many kids
D longest fucking piece of shit iv eva read!!
I still have neva heard of dis roller or rolling dollars b4 june 12 2013.
I bet hez turning in his grave ryt now...
Dat he left such lowlives behind as offsprings...
I got 2 read up 2 d part wr a grown ass was saying how d 1st thing he thot of wen he heard of his dad's death was d promise 2 cater for him thru uni...
Fucking asshole...
How can old idiots like des be depending on a man dat was almost 100yrs old and who I'm sure hard his senses fading at dat age.
U hav a brother who is 50yrs old, older dan my mum even and u still depended on an old dude 4 finance!!
Shame shame u lot...
Now u r telling us all des soppy stories so dat nigerians will gather money 4 u lot abi?!!!
Lazy ass old ppl...
*throws up*
Billie jean
I just don't get! I'm just sad. So where u two not working, Fatai was 86yrs hw many more years did u think he would live more that u his family did not make plans for d future. Did u not know he was smoking marijuana? Hw strong was he at dat age to make money. Dat less dan a month u asking for help. Des whole thing pisses me off. U still where having kids for a man of over 80, what where u thinking. Damn!damn! Even his 50yr old son is also seeking for help. Oh! No! Dis is bullshit!!
How sad is it? You know u don't have money yet you will not zip ur pants. You want to born the whole Nigeria. Do Nigerians think that westerners that have only 2 kids hate children or what? Please when ur pocket is small u shud plan a small family too. Old man with all those small children? Mchew! Foolish someborry!
What a pity. Dead reveals many things, but God will open doors.
god will send help you to the late rolling dollar families....
What rubbish are this people (and Linda too) talking about? Make your bed, lie on it! Afterall, the mother/s of those kids knew rolling dollar was an old man before they opened their legs to collect his juices, for goodness sake!
Now now there papa die dem don dey cry even d'old papa wey dey 50 sef dey cry too is wah..sP
This is very sad. I wish them succour especially the education aspect. Whether the great singer had so many wives and children or not, they are already part of our society. At least, let's have a good heart.
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First of all LOL @ Sikiru's face in that picture. Secondly, what happened to the proceeds from his tour in America? They can use that as capital to start a business. The story doesn't add up. The children too sound as if they have been coached what to say. ~B
*just passsing*
All l can say now is that Fatai has lived and gone, let the living learn from his mistakes. Am out.
OH PLEASE. LAZY WIVES. THEY SHOULD GO AND FIND SOMETHING TO DO. LEARN A TRADE OR SELL SOMETHING. AT THIS DAY AND AGE THEY ARE WAITING FOR HANDOUTS?
Bt d women are so so funny....u having kids for a man old enough to be ur dad, and now u complain there's no money, after u give births like pigs..SMH. Well i pray d kids get good education, is a pity all dis is happening to dem @ dis early stage of their life. The older kids shld come to their resuce....if not for anytin d kids sake. And as for d wives, dey shld look for a means to get smtin doing, what where dey thinkin, gettin married to a man of over 60 at d 1st place.
bia kwa nu oo. wat is diz rubbish na? jst a week!!! nd dy are complaning? e get as e be o!
So sad indeed, to think dat his 50years old son would come out to seek 4 pity over hs father's death is a big shame! Rolling dollar lived a fulfilled life of 86 and dey say dey were not expecting dis? Haba Sikiru don't shy away 4rm ur responsibilities, take care of ur siblings and God will bless u. ~Ritty~
Abegi wives stop makin noise & hit d labour maket 2 wok wen u were doin apako u anounce 2 d world baby is d reward of naked sex if u r stil multiplyin 4 him @ dat age ve u 4getin dat u ve 2 dominate,control,&subdue ur hand wok abeg if u can't take dem 2 motherless home simple
Chai!linda has come again....so at 86 the whole family was still depending on hm?his fans should stand by dem (how fans does he have)
Wo!mothers/wiv don't train ur children,children don't go to school sit wait rolling stone will soon roll in.
So not right mehn...R dey even mourning at all?
Una no go wait for una papa to rest well b4 una go start to beg for help? Shame on the first Son, you left your father for so long that you weren't even there for him even when he was sick? Only to come back home to inherit his father's property! so obvious that he has hidden agenda.
These pple has got to be kidding M̶̲̥̅Ƹ.. How can U̶̲̥̅̊ even open ur legs to a man of over 70yrs and U̶̲̥̅̊ cal him husband?? I doubt if that old man really fathered those kids. Meanwhile,they are all a lazy bunch. The old man had nothing even before death and U̶̲̥̅̊ guys have bn surviving and just not up to one month,after d old man died,U̶̲̥̅̊ r crying out for help.. Nawa..ooo. Opportunists!
It looks like they are trying to profit from his death..because how come he died last week and this week they have already dropped out???? why did they not complain when he was alive??
wow! pretty sad!
Is this Nimi
billie jean what are u talking about? stop using curse language when u haven't even read the story. The kid is 12 years old. His first child is 50 but the kid saying his dad promised him uni education is 12 so why are u insulting him?
I was just thinking abt dt, hw could u expect a man at that age to b d one to train u up to university level. Y didn't they make arrangement before d wives start opening their legs.# just wandering #
Gbam!
Stupid pple.stay dere nd wait for fashola nd fans to cm nd tk u bk to skul.bunch of lazy arses.deir pleas are so lame nd unnecessary.
Oh no!
My tots wen I saw the headline
Desired*
It's a pity that children have to suffer due to their parents' ignorance. Africans should stop this kind of over-reproduction if they can't afford it. Look at this kind of begging. Pa Dollar should have stopped producing children decades ago! These women are pathetic! Giving birth like they can support all those kids and that 50-year old son is even worse. I don't pity such individuals. It is the children I feel sorry for.
Lead d way nah,kukuma donate ur salary ni.
I hope this helps people understand something: Not everyone should have children. More importantly, do not marry more than one wife and the numerous amount of children that come with polygamy if you caannot afford to take care of yourself well - let alone 2 women and the potential kids they are very likely to give you.
That is just selfishness. Nothing more, nothing less.
We no longer live on farms and thus do not need a battalion of wives and children to help take care of said farm.
And even if you do live on a farm and own the land you live on, it is still selfish to have more than one wive and/or more children than you can afford to care for comfortably.
I like Mr. Dollar - enjoyed his music tremendously. But I also happen to know a lot of these musicians (as I work in the creative field) and their attitude towards women and children is Appallingly horrid. Saying/promoting stuff like it is African to have more than one wife or not to have wives at all but rather have girlfriends bear you numerous children is just ... I don't know what the right word is.
All I can say is this: stop an think about the consequences of your action. This life is not soley about you and what pleases you at the moment.
Msheewwwww!!super story
Stupid people..oloshi family..ole,you guys shld get your ass out there and work Rubbish..and the 50years old son..same on You
Shame*
B*tches please!!..cry me river!!..next on dia dirty schemes is goan b ''beggin fash for cash''!!...Amadioha gbu kwunu dia!!..idiats...
Pity the sycophancy of Nigerians. When the man was alive, they rallied and fed off him. Now they have turned to beggars even before the man breathed his last.
Oya our government, as usual, dash them our hard earned tax-payers' money and of course do not forget, scholarships to PHD level for the children including the 50year old broke-ass first son.
Finally, carry the funeral and "owanbe" expenses. EEEEWWWWWUUUU!!!
LINDA I USUALLY DON'T HAVE PATIENCE TO READ ALL DESE LONG ASS STORIES OF URS, PLS CAN U FIND A WAY OF MAKING DEM SHORTER FOR MA SAKE #BIGSMILE..
if this is an avenue to beg then i will also join by begging nigeria to pls giv me a job. linda pls post this msg
its quite funny and pathetic. you'd want to wonder what happened to all his proceeds from all the shows he had or perhaps, that his 50-year old should be capable of stepping into the Father's shoes instead of lamenting.
so sad I don't feel sorry for them so dey want Nigerian to contribute again we all hv our personal problems to take care of
u met him 13 years ago... if he died at 86, it means he was 73 wen u met??? wtf where u thinking? and u bore children for him with the hope that he wud live to 130 to watch dem grow n train them...??? and that baba that is 50 is still talking??? sick story, sick pipo... // by the way, these comments are damn hilarious *romclol*
My Country people,over 2 u,dat is y planning ahead of time is gud bcos of d future. Now d Children's education dream will b shattered except God uses people and govt.2 help dem, I wish d family luck.
Look at this Agbaya first son that is even fashola's mate! Smh so u wasted 50 yrs of ur life? Smh
Make dem go public skl naw. Its free
Youre a bitch!
Anon 9:51, you said it all.
D little children I feel for. He is even from ede (osun) David's father sure will take care of them. Na them-them
Are you okay? Why should davido's father have to take care of them. This bloody entitlement syndrome is what is killing Nigerians.
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