By Taiye Olayemi
Bimbo Esho, Managing Director, Evergreen Musical Company, has commended the efforts of Dr Daniel Olukoya, Founder of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry (MFM), toward actualising her father’s 25 years musical dream.
Esho, in a statement on Sunday, said that Olukoya’s unbridled love for music would finally turn around his father’s dream, Chief Femi Esho, who is the Chairman of Evergreen Musical Company.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olukoya, General Overseer (GO) of the MFM Church partnered Esho to build a musical museum in Nigeria, located at Anthony in Lagos.
The musical museum is known as “Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation”.
“This bequeaths to future generations a strong philosophy on music while appreciating the sheer artistic genius of Nigeria’s renowned musical talents, many of whom had been forgotten”.
She said this was a viable platform to ensure music of yesteryears continually gain prominence which had been the age-long goal of the company.
She said her father’s 25 years musical dream had been to have a functional musical museum which could be seen as an experience centre where people could visit to gain knowledge on all genre of music from 100 years backwards.
“If there is any lesson I have learnt in life, it is to share our vision and dream with like minds, so it doesn’t die with us.
“Over the years, I have watched how many individuals reach the peak of their career and fame but end up dying without achieving their dreams.
“Recalling the very first day my dad met with Dr Olukoya to discuss the Evergreen Project, he said Dr Olukoya told him that he was 100 per cent interested in the project.
“There is no doubt that both men have intense and undiluted love for music. They have over the years selflessly given so much in ensuring that the Evergreens don’t go into extinction.
“I have always had the conviction that the collaboration between these great men would birth that which generations will benefit from,” she said.
Esho noted that aside Olukoya being an accomplished and respected preacher of the word and leading one of the most popular churches in Nigeria today, he also taught music.
She said Olukoya wrote his first song in 1976 and his church choir was widely regarded as one of the best in the world, having won several international choir competitions in Europe and other parts of the world.
According to her, the cleric has supported many musicians in achieving their goals.
“Olukoya breathes, drink and eat quality music. Today he has over 200 hymns and songs to his credit.
“Olukoya, who is the patron of the Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation, has shown us that his word is his bond. His consistency in ensuring that my dad’s dream of 25 years is brought to fruition is mind blowing .
“Not only has he used his goodwill together with ours to ensure we secure a magnificent edifice that perfectly matches the Evergreen Dream, his financial and moral contributions have been invaluable.
“The museum, upon completion, will be an experience centre where people in and outside Nigeria will be privileged to see our country’s musical worth and history.
“There will be on display music from 1914, musical relics, old musical instruments, head bust of artistes, original vinyl of artistes, books, documentaries, cassettes, reel to reel, gramophone as old as 100 years, journals, cassettes and more,” she said. (NAN)
