Sikiru Ayinde Barrister laid to rest
Fuji legend Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was buried in the sitting room of his Lagos home on Thursday, December 30, in line with the late musician’s wishes. The body, which arrived at his Fuji Chambers residence at 9.44pm, was buried shortly after 10pm, in accordance with Muslim rites.
The remains of Barrister, who passed away at a London hospital on December 16, had been delayed in the United Kingdom due to flight disruptions caused by bad weather. Scheduled to return to Nigeria on Wednesday, the arrival was the subject of much confusion, with spokespersons giving conflicting information about the exact whereabouts of Barrister’s remains and the Air France flight conveying it.
Thousands of fans kept a two-day vigil at the Fuji maestro’s home as family members and well-wishers waited. The arrival of Barrister’s remains was finally confirmed around 6pm Thursday, but so many fans had besieged the airport route that a decoy convoy had to be convened, to enable the corpse travel separately in privacy.
All day Thursday, a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed around the deceased’s home, popularly known as Fuji Chambers. Tessy Yembra who danced in Barrister’s famous ‘Fuji Garbage’ video in 1988, entertained waiting crowds with the dance again, 22 years on.
A stream of music stars arrived at Fuji Chambers throughout Thursday to condole with the family and await their fallen colleague. Among these were Salawa Abeni, Ayinla Kollington, Wasiu Ayinde, Segun Adewale and Dele Abiodun.
Many of Barrister’s fellow musicians joined his widows and children to witness the burial, including Ebenezer Obey, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Obesere and Saheed Osupa.
Leave a Reply