By Tayo Mabeweje
The air inside the Shell Hall of MUSON Centre on Sunday, October 5, 2025, was thick with nostalgia and rhythm. It wasn’t just another Lagos concert night — it was a grand reunion between Nigeria’s musical past and its living present. Ariya Eko 2025 turned out to be a celebration where history sang, legends smiled, and Lagos danced again.
When the lights dimmed and the spotlight cut across the stage, something divine seemed to hover over the air — the energy of memory, the pulse of culture, the spirit of gratitude. It was the kind of night where melodies became memoirs, and applause became benedictions.
At the heart of that luminous night stood one quiet but profound gesture — the ₦500,000 gift to each of the twenty veteran musicians by Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM). It was more than money; it was a statement. In a country where many of its cultural icons fade into silence without recognition, Dr. Olukoya’s act was a melody of kindness, a lyrical reminder that gratitude still exists among men of faith and vision.
Represented at the event by Dr. Oladele Ayorinde, Dr. Olukoya’s words struck the hall with the same rhythm as a chorus in perfect harmony: “This gesture is a token of his deep respect and gratitude for your work in keeping Nigeria’s music and cultural heritage alive, vibrant, and globally respected.” Those words carried weight. They were not just spoken — they resonated, like an old record spinning truth into the night.
The crowd erupted in applause, and you could feel emotion ripple through the hall. Some of the veterans smiled shyly, and others bowed their heads in gratitude. It wasn’t only because of the ₦500,000 in their hands, but because someone remembered — someone who understood that music built the emotional infrastructure of this country long before oil ever did.
Dr. Olukoya’s magnanimity — a total of ₦10 million for twenty honorees — was not a photo-op moment but an authentic extension of his personality. To those close to him, this was vintage Olukoya: a man of quiet generosity, of unblemished integrity, and a genuine patron of the arts. Like the melody of a hymn sung in the stillness of dawn, his gesture was pure, powerful, and enduring.
The night was alive with icons whose names had once ruled airwaves, nightclubs, churches, and parlours. Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, General Kollington Ayinla, Mrs. Deborah Fasoyin, Evangelist J.A. Adelakun (Ayewa), Toye Ajagun, Evangelist Funmi Aragbaye, Salawa Abeni, Laolu Akins, and Alex O — each a story, each a sound, each a heartbeat of the nation’s cultural timeline.
They didn’t just receive plaques. They gave back what only legends can — timeless performances. When Obey lifted his voice and sang “Koriko dide wa juba,” the audience rose like a congregation catching the spirit of melody. Ayewa’s “Amona Tete Bo” rolled through the hall like gospel thunder, Toye Ajagun resurrected the 70s with “Ma gbe ma gbe o, ese re di taya ko see gbe,” while Salawa Abeni poured out her evergreen hit “Gentle Lady ni mi, mi kii se fighter” with the same energy that made her the Waka Queen decades ago.
The audience was transported into a time machine powered by drums, strings, and memories. Evangelist Funmi Aragbaye’s voice cut through the hall with “Emi Orun So Kale,” and Mrs. Fasoyin’s “Odun n Lo Sopin” reminded everyone that old songs never die; they just grow wiser with age. As the night progressed, you could almost hear the echo of Fela’s proverb, “Music is the weapon of the future.”
And then came one of the most unexpected and delightful scenes of the night — Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the number one citizen of Lagos, sparring playfully with Ajobiewe, the celebrated Yoruba poet known for his thunderous Esa Egungun chants. In that unscripted moment, Lagos saw its governor return briefly to his youthful roots as a DJ, matching Ajobiewe verse for verse before bowing out with laughter and applause It was a performance within a performance — proof that culture isn’t something distant or ceremonial; it’s a living rhythm that still beats in the heart of leadership.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s presence underscored the Lagos State Government’s commitment to culture as both a legacy and an investment. His support for Ariya Eko echoed his administration’s vision of Lagos as the creative capital of Africa — where art, music, and innovation don’t just coexist but collaborate. For the governor, it was personal, too. Those who knew him in his younger days remember him behind turntables, blending beats before he blended policies. His connection to music was not symbolic; it was visceral.
But behind this monumental event stood one woman carrying the torch of her father’s dream — Ms. Bimbo Esho, Managing Director of Evergreen Musical Company and Director of the Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation. For her, this night was more than spectacle. It was the fulfilment of a sacred promise. “Music to my father,” she said softly that evening, “was what food and water are to human survival.” Her father, the late Chief Femi Esho, popularly known as Baba Musician, had spent his lifetime collecting, preserving, and promoting Nigeria’s musical heritage.
Chief Esho believed that indigenous music was not just entertainment but a cultural memory — the soundtrack of a nation’s soul. His vision for the Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation was to create a sanctuary where the works of Nigerian musicians, living and departed, could be curated for posterity. To him, to forget the old songs was to erase the nation’s heartbeat.
Through Bimbo, that heartbeat continues. The Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation has become a living museum of sound — a treasure chest where vinyls, tapes, and stories coexist. She has digitized archives, hosted research collaborations, and now through Ariya Eko, turned preservation into performance. Like an orchestra continuing its symphony after the maestro takes his bow, she has kept her father’s music playing — louder than ever.
This year’s edition of Ariya Eko was a crescendo in that ongoing symphony. The hall vibrated with laughter, memories, and reverence. Each performance was a ribbon tying the past to the present. The stage lighting bathed the veterans in gold — fitting for those who turned the struggles of their youth into songs of national identity.
The festival’s success reflected a seamless partnership between government, private sector, and spiritual leadership. Sanwo-Olu brought state endorsement, Bimbo brought cultural conviction, and Dr. Olukoya brought moral grace and generosity. It was, as one guest whispered, “the perfect harmony of Lagos, spirit, and soul.”
As the event closed, the applause seemed endless — a standing ovation not only for the performances but for the idea that art still matters, that heritage still breathes, and that gratitude can still be expressed in the language of generosity.
Those who received the ₦500,000 gifts did not just get financial relief; they received validation — proof that their years of artistry were not lost to time. In their eyes, that night was a flicker of renewed pride. The same hands that once held microphones and drumsticks decades ago now held something that said, “We remember.” We are grateful.
To music lovers and cultural historians, Ariya Eko 2025 wasn’t just a festival — it was an anthem of remembrance. It reminded the world that Nigeria’s soundscape is as vast as its spirit. From highlife to juju, from waka to gospel, every rhythm tells a story of resilience, creativity, and community.
As the night wound down, the words of Chief Femi Esho seemed to echo through the hall: “Music is the only history that never forgets its author.” Indeed, on that night, history remembered — and Lagos listened.
The feedback since the event has been nothing short of resounding. Media houses hailed it as one of the most successful cultural gatherings of the decade. Cultural scholars described it as a renaissance of heritage. For many attendees, it felt like a balm for a generation that still hums the old tunes in traffic and weddings.
What stood out most, however, was the unity of purpose — the governor’s joy, the cleric’s kindness, the daughter’s devotion, and the veterans’ gratitude. Together, they formed a chorus that no microphone could amplify enough.
In a world where trends fade faster than echoes, Ariya Eko 2025 was proof that true music — like true legacy — never dies. It only finds new stages, new ears, and new hearts to sing to.
And so, when the lights finally dimmed and the last chord faded into applause, Lagos didn’t just applaud musicians; it applauded memory itself. For one unforgettable night, the city became a jukebox of heritage, and its people became backup singers in the grand symphony of gratitude.
Indeed, Ariya Eko 2025 will be remembered not only for its music but for its message — that honour, like melody, sounds sweetest when it is given, not demanded.
Tayo Mabeweje is an entertainment analyst, culture enthusiast, and chronicler of Nigeria’s living legends.
