“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.