I wanted to be musician, not politician - Gov Adeleke

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has revealed how his father discouraged him from becoming a musician before he eventually ventured into politics.

Adeleke earned the sobriquet of the ‘Dancing Governor’ due to his energetic dance displays in public, many of which gained virality on social media.

The Governor is often berated by his political opponents due to his bright and bubbly personality.

His penchant for dancing became a topical issue during his governorship campaigns, with critics labelling him unfit for the serious task of governance, even though his supporters believed such a trait showed that he would be socially accessible by all.

During an interview on ARISE TV on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, the 63-year-old politician spoke of his obsession with dancing and how his father thwarted his childhood dream of becoming an artist.

“Actually, I was supposed to be a musician right away. But my father, when we were growing up in the sixties, didn’t allow it," he said.

The governor may have failed to turn out as a musician, but he believed he succeeded in passing on the talent to his son, B-Red - a Nigerian music star.

Adeleke also claimed to have bequeathed his musical ingenuity to his nephew and Afrobeats megastar, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.

"They didn’t believe that somebody should go and do music. They just wanted you to go to school. So he discouraged me. But I know that I have that talent. It’s the talent I passed on to my nephew and my son.

“If you play music now, I don’t know how I would just start dancing. My body would just start moving without knowing it.

“I got to America in 1981. The name of my school that time in Alabama was Jacksonville State University. It was in the countryside. At that time, the school was having their anniversary, a lot of activities were happening there. So I picked the dancing part. So, after the stages, we got to the finals.

“So to cut the long story short, I won. I remember vividly, the president of our school was trying to pronounce my name – Ademola Adeleke – he called me Jackson. And at that time Michael Jackson was reigning. So that’s how I got the name Jackson,” he added.