“My calling is music because God wants me to use it to speak for the voiceless” – Eedris Abdulkareem

Afro Hip Hop artiste, Eedris Abdulkareem,
in a recent interview with PUNCH talked
about his career, how God called him to
music, his controversial relationship with
Olusegun Obasanjo and his family.
Eedris Abdulkareem, who was once a
professional table tennis player and
journalist disclosed that, “Back then, my
passion was journalism, sports and music.
As a hustler, you do everything but the
most important thing is to get some form of
education. I had a stint in journalism in
Kano State with the Daily Times at the time,
but I left because I wasn’t really passionate
about it. More so, I was young and I
thought it would not fetch me money.
At age 15, I represented Kano State as a
table tennis player. I was also part of the
Nigerian Table Tennis contingent to the All
Africa Games in 1985, which took place in
Kenya, with the likes of Funke Oshinaike,
Atunda Musa and the late Yomi Bankole.
God told me emphatically that my calling
was music because he wants me to use it to
speak for the voiceless. He said, ‘Eedris,
leave Kano, you are going to go to Lagos to
do music, you would go through a lot but
you will make it nonetheless. As soon as
you have the opportunity to speak on the
microphone, use it to talk about the ills in
the society like sexual harassment, politics,
embezzlement and illiteracy. Also, I was
interested in music because my mother
raised 10 children and lost seven of them. It
made me a very conscious boy at a tender
age because of that.
“I would have made more money
from music if I sing praises. But if
you are a public officer who is
accountable, I will definitely praise you.
With music, I have met all my needs and
gained international recognition. I have the
authority to walk up to any governor’s door
and get instant recognition. They will say,
“Ah, Eedris Abdulkareem, Obasanjo’s
friend, Jaga jaga”. It has opened many
doors for me and I don’t have to sell my
soul to the devil or become a member of
illuminati to be successful,” he says amid
laughter.
“The best to ever happen to me was former
President Olusegun Obasanjo talking back
at me, calling me a mere street boy whose
father is not known. The president took me
to the next level, I became a super star,
and now people know me, because
Obasanjo put me in his level.”
On his family “I love my family and wife so
much that I don’t joke with them. I have
been married for 13 years, though they
thought it would last three months. I
proved to them that it is possible to be a
family man and artiste at the same time. I
am an inspiration to other married
celebrities,” he boasts.