Friends by Samuel Nwanze

In 1995, the U-20 World Cup was originally going to be held in Nigeria. Even though Nigeria eventually withdrew from the hosting duties due to a meningitis outbreak, preparations for the World Cup were at fever pitch in 1994.

I was a student at the University of Ibadan at the time and about two years before that, I and two close friends had launched ourselves into the campus music scene, performing at concerts and shows in several University campuses in the West: Unilag, Uniben, OAU, Unilorin, Ogun State University, Yabatech etc.

We played at Churches, parties, studios and at a couple of “joints” in Lagos, particularly the popular ‘Jazz 38’ which was located on Awolowo Road in Ikoyi and run by Fela’s son-in-law – Tunde Kuboye. Our band was called – DRS, acronym for Dapo, Remi and Sam. We wrote and produced all our songs with Remi as the lead vocalist whilst Dapo and I played the keyboards, bass guitar, drums and backed-up Remi with the harmonies.

Our band was called – DRS, acronym for Dapo, Remi and Sam. We wrote and produced all our songs with Remi as the lead vocalist whilst Dapo and I played the keyboards, bass guitar, drums and backed-up Remi with the harmonies.

Dapo was the most musically talented of the three of us and he eventually turned out to be an internationally acclaimed multi-platinum songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Dapo (currently based in the US) has worked for artists like 50 Cent, Fantasia, John Legend, Brandy, Justin Bieber, David Archuleta, Elliott Yamin, Babyface, Alisha Keys, Jordin Sparks, Toni Braxton, Demi Lovato and even Beyoncé. Dapo produced Barack Obama’s presidential campaign song called “Change”. He was also announced as one of the songwriters for the hit Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam along with Kara DioGuardi and he is a Yamaha-endorsed artist.

Remi was our lead vocalist and considered as the “Voice” in the group. Today, he is an accomplished gospel recording artist, worship leader, songwriter and broadcaster based in the UK. Remi has been a lead vocalist in the GEM Award-winning gospel group called GKREAL. He has several recordings to his credit and has also performed with the All Saints Orchestra at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall.

In 1994, the organisers for the World Cup set up a competition to search for the theme song for the U-20 World Cup. One day, we were jamming in a studio in Ibadan with a friend of ours – the late Ogonda Wigwe, who unfortunately passed on in a ghastly car accident.

Ogo told us that she had written a song for the competition and she wanted DRS to produce and record it. We listened to her rough demo and loved it. Three weeks later after several sleepless nights, working to flesh out the song, we eventually recorded the song in the studio and submitted it for the competition. Unfortunately, we never got the results of that entry because of Nigeria’s withdrawal from hosting the U-20 World Cup. But that track was the only studio recording DRS ever did that was released to the public.

In the years that followed, DRS would receive a few offers including doing a feature film and a recording offer from an international producer. I wasn’t ready for any of that because even though I loved music, I was more academically inclined and wanted to focus on my studies. Eventually, Dapo dropped out of U.I to pursue music as a career starting with the band – Kush. Remi left for the UK and continued his music career whilst I stayed back in U.I, finished my studies and went on to become a banker.

I was more academically inclined and wanted to focus on my studies.

It’s almost 25 years now since we recorded that theme song for the U-20 World Cup. Dapo, Remi and I have remained loosely in touch but the lyrics of the chorus theme song (titled “Friends”) have always stuck with us:

We’ll be as friends, not rejoicing when the other falls

Friends, giving a helping hand

And let love reign cos that’s the only way

Friends, we’ll be as friends.