Legendary Afro-Juju musician, Sir Shina Peters, has revealed the painful childhood experience that made him leave his parents at just 10 years old.
Speaking during a recent interview on The Honest Bunch podcast, the veteran singer explained that growing up in poverty pushed him to make a life-changing decision early in his life.
According to Peters, his family’s financial struggles were so severe that they could not afford a proper apartment. He recalled that during school holidays, he always went to Oshodi, where his parents shared a single room. “What led me to leave my parents at 10 is because they don’t have money to rent a room and a parlour,” he said. “Anytime we were on holidays, I would go to Oshodi. They’d spread my mat on the floor while they slept on the bed. They had to wait for me to sleep before they could perform husband and wife duties, and I couldn’t sleep.”
The singer described how the experience left a lasting emotional scar on him. “It was painful, very painful,” he said. “Seeing my parents struggling made me decide that I had to fend for myself. I told myself, ‘Shina, go out there and find life for yourself.’ I was a special spiritual boy, I used to fast for 60 to 90 days. Then one day, I just told them, ‘Papa, mama, me I dey go.’ They said, ‘Go where? Tomorrow you’re supposed to go to St. Peter’s School in Abeokuta.’ I replied, ‘Forget about education, let me find myself so I can make you proud.’”
Peters recounted how he left home in the middle of the night, determined to succeed no matter what. “The owner of the house brought out schnapps around 2am, praying that such an incident would not happen again. As I walked away, I looked back and said to myself, ‘I will not come back to this house if I fail. I will not fail, and I won’t meet this house in the same condition.’”
Reflecting on his journey, Peters said his determination eventually paid off. “In 1972, during my second trip to London with Prince Adekunle, my family came to the airport to welcome me. I took them to our old house, which used to have 10 rooms, but only two were left because of the Oshodi canal demolition. Each time I remember that, I work even harder,” he said.
The veteran singer also shared that his success was not accidental but built on faith, sacrifice, and hard work. “Sometimes I question God, but I always return to apologise because I believe in Him. Music is not something to play with. To be an icon and a legend, you must go the extra mile. What you sing as a young man should be different from what you sing as an adult,” he concluded.