The studio of TopRadio 90.9 Fm, the host station of The Vintage Talkshow where the first-of-its-kind Wale Olomu Memorial Award (WOMA) took place, was agog on Saturday as music superstar, Alhaja Ibiwunmi Salawa Abeni bags the WOMA Lifetime Achievement Award (in indigenous music sustenance).
Abeni, who popularised a Yoruba music genre – waka – and earned the sobriquet, Waka Queen, was physically present to receive her award, and thanked the organisers for a job well done and for considering her worthy to be honored while alive.
She electrified the entire studio with her melodious voice as she went into her archive to sing one of her popular songs, Gentle Lady.
Other awardees – DJ Vinny, Diran Olajoyegbe, Femi Ojetunde and Manny Eke – who received Special recognition awards in Disc Jockey, Studio Management, Music Production, and Session Backup Vocalisation respectively, were also excited for being recognised.
Olajoyegbe thanked the organisers for searching for somebody as “hidden” as he is. “I am very excited to receive this award”, he said.
From his base in the United States of America, Ojetunde, whose younger sister, Tolu Agbe-Davies received the award on his behalf, said the award is dear to him because of what the late Wale Olomu represented. He said: “I promised to keep the flag of Nigeria flying from my base, and in every part of the world”.
A very happy Eke said that the late Olomu meant so much to him because he made him what he is today. He said: “He gave me the title of ‘King of Rap’ back then, and that has been keeping me on my toes most of the time. I’m really excited to be part of this”.
In the roundtable discussion segment, two awardees, and music technocrats, Ojetunde and Kayode Samuel gave educative and informative views on the theme of ‘Business of Music: Artiste vs Label Relations, and Other Matters’.
