Renowned Nigerian Fuji musician, Alhaji Kolawole Rasaq Ilori, popularly known as Kollington Ayinla, is currently battling illness and has been hospitalized for over a week, according to sources close to the 75-year-old musician.
Ayinla, a key figure in the Fuji music genre, has reportedly been admitted to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja. Sources reveal that his health deteriorated to a critical condition, leading to the necessity of placing him on oxygen support.
Despite the gravity of his condition, Ayinla’s family has maintained a level of privacy regarding the veteran musician’s health. Efforts by SaharaReporters to directly contact Kollington Ayinla were unsuccessful, as his mobile phone was switched off at the time of inquiry.
Kollington Ayinla, born in August 1949 in Ilota, a town on the outskirts of Ilorin, Kwara State, is known by various aliases, including Baba Alatika, Kebe-n-Kwara, and Baba Alagbado. Alongside his late friend and competitor, Ayinde Barrister, he played a pivotal role in dominating the Fuji music scene for decades, contributing significantly to the genre’s popularity.
During the mid-1970s to the late ’80s, Kollington Ayinla and Ayinde Barrister stood out as leading stars in Nigerian Fuji music. Despite the competition, the two musicians played instrumental roles in popularizing the genre. The enmity between them gradually diminished as the Fuji music market expanded.
In a poignant moment of unity, Kollington Ayinla and Ayinde Barrister stood side by side as mourners at the funeral of Apala star, Haruna Ishola, in 1983. However, Ayinde Barrister passed away on December 16, 2010, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
As fans and the music community await updates on Kollington Ayinla’s health, his contributions to Nigerian Fuji music remain a significant part of the country’s musical heritage.
