{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Mathematical 7","provider_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7","title":"At last, I meet my greatest Fan! - Mathematical 7","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Jxdwxybb0n\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/at-last-i-meet-my-greatest-fan\/\">At last, I meet my greatest Fan!<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/at-last-i-meet-my-greatest-fan\/embed\/#?secret=Jxdwxybb0n\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;At last, I meet my greatest Fan!&#8221; &#8212; Mathematical 7\" data-secret=\"Jxdwxybb0n\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Ebenezer_Obey.jpg","thumbnail_width":275,"thumbnail_height":183,"description":"In 1978, unsolicited, without even ever meeting me, he waxed a great song to celebrate my marriage as well as my exploits as a football player. This was at the height of my playing career in Shooting Stars Football Club and the National Team, along with several of my colleagues in both teams. If there was one question in the world that I badly wanted an answer to, but did not get an opportunity to ask for several decades, it would be what inspired one of the greatest musicians, a legend of JujuMusic, one who became a lecturing Professor in a university by virtue of the richness of his repertoire of musical talent and achievements, to write a song eulogizing me without ever meeting me first. I could never work it out in my head. The song became an evergreen collection, etched permanently in the hearts of the football faithful in Nigeria. The words of the song promote and celebrate excellence, and urge people to do their best in all endeavours and under all circumstances. Yes, it has been 40 years, and the great chief of Egbaland and I only finally and properly met. For a whole hour, we had a fantastic conversation in his lovely home in the beautiful, serene, and still largely rustic but rapidly developing city of Abeokuta! Last week, by some divine arrangement, unusual circumstances reconnected us. He had been looking for my telephone number and had asked a mutual friend if he could get it. Meanwhile, I had also been trying to reach him. I had been worried about how he would react to me coming from the blues to ask for a favour after 40 years of not publicly or even privately acknowledging what he had done for me. Still, I needed his input on a project I was working on. That would, of course, also provide me with the opportunity to ask him my million Dollar question. So, when my phone rang one evening about a week ago, I was shocked to see his name automatically appear as the caller. I could not believe it. That meant that I already had his number listed on my phone, yet I could not recall where I must have got it from since I had never called him up on phone in my entire life. But there it was, the name of the musical genius, staring back at me. I picked up the call and waited in apprehension. Then it was there - the soft, gentle, courteous, melodic, but firm voice of the great musical icon himself, sounding like a celestial melody from heaven. When Commander talks, he sings. He picks and expresses his words carefully and softly, almost seductively.\u2018Ekale o. Se Segun Odegbami ni yen?\u2019 (Good evening o. Is that Segun Odegbami?)\u2018Ekale Sir. Beni. Emi ni Sir\u2019, (Good evening Sir. Yes, it is) I responded. The voice was unmistakable. The great man was actually on the line calling ordinary me. Then began a short but unbelievably friendly conversation. It was if we had been friends forever, eager to hear each other out."}