Ebenezer Obey: Only a foolish old man will marry a young lady

Ebenezer Obey, a Nigerian juju musician, says only a “foolish old man” would marry a young lady, who is still in the early years of her life, as a wife.

The 78-year-old veteran singer told The Nation while addressing queries as to whether or not he would marry another woman following the demise of Juliana Olufade, his wife, back in 2011.

“Marry a young lady? It’s a foolish old man that will say he wants to marry a young lady. The young lady has just started her life and definitely is virile and strong,” the Egba-Yoruba native, said.

“Someone like me should be thinking of a woman who is 60 or above. When I do it, everyone will know. I can marry at any time, not just for the sake of marriage, but for the sake of companionship.

“I have been blessed. What else do I want? I have children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren. As long as I still have life, you will hear when the time for marriage comes.”

Obey had begun his professional career in the mid-1950s after moving to Lagos. After tutelage under Fatai Rolling-Dollar’s band, he formed a band called The International Brothers in 1964.

Playing highlife–jùjú fusion, the band would later metamorphose into Inter-Reformers in the early-1970s, while having a long list of Juju album hits on the West African Decca musical label.