Nigerian music icon, Divine Ikubor popularly known as Rema has narrated how Christ Embassy Church founded by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome helped him, his mother and family when they felt very lost and abandoned after his father, Justice Ikubor died in a controversial manner at a Hotel in Benin City in 2008.
Rema who was born in the year 2000 and was just barely 8 years old when his father was reported dead at a hotel after allegedly having time with a lady, said the then Benin Senior Pastor of the Christ Embassy church in Benin City, Reverend Tom Amenkhienan opened shop for his mother, through which, he said, his mother was able to carter for the family after everything they had were taken away from them following the death of his father who was the then General Manager of the Edo State Government owned Ethiope Publishing Company.
The singer made the narration during the Christ Embassy Church service he attended on Sunday, September 1, 2024 in Benin City after his home coming concert on Friday held at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, an event which has been the talk of the town and it has been trending on social media platforms since on Tuesday when the Guinness book of World record music star arrived the Edo State capital ahead of the event.
Rema in 2020 had accused the People’s Democratic Party, PDP over the death of his father, Justice Ikubor.
The music star made this known via his Twitter page on Monday, September 28, 2020, where he asked the former ruling party to come clean about his late father’s mysterious death.
“PDP you all need to explain what happened to my father in that hotel room. Justice Ikubor’s son has risen,” he tweeted.
His father, Justice Ikubor was found dead in a room at Bins Hotel inBenin City, the state capital in 2008.
According to media reports, Ikubor checked in with a female friend at about 8:3 pm on the day he died.
The lady reportedly left the hotel premises after spending some hours with the deceased.
Rema while expressing gratitude to the church on Sunday for its guidance and support, especially for coming through for his family after the death of his father, donated over ₦105 million to the church infrastructure and widows who were present during the sunday service.
Rema said: “I’m not here to give myself any accolades or glory. I’m here to give God the glory. I feel like it is important to give back because the church has embraced, and prayed for me, and has kept me very consistent with my spirit.
“Firstly, I want to give a pledge of ₦40 million to the infrastructure of the church. I want to pledge ₦20 million to Rhapsody of Realities, and being the fact that I came from the teen’s church, I also want to pledge ₦25 million to the infrastructure of the teen’s church.
“I’m pledging ₦20 million to widows in church today”.
Before making the donations for widows in the church, Rema narrated how the church supported his family during a difficult time after his father’s passing.
“When I was eight year old, when I lost my dad, we felt very lost and abandoned. All that we had was taken from us and we felt very alone. I remember at the time, Pastor Joy and Pastor Tom, the pastors of this church, they opened a shop for my mum and that was how she managed to take care of us,”.
Ahead of the Home coming concert, the Oba of Benin honours Rema with royal plaque.
The Oba presented the plaque to Rema when the singer paid him a visit at his palace ahead of his homecoming concert at the Ogbe Stadium in Benin City.
At the Oba Palace, Rema sang his popular hit track, “Baby Calm down” to entertain the Monarch. Videos posted online by fun seekers showed the Oba appeared entertained and he could be seen asking one of his daughters, Princess Oghogho to join Rema. The Princess and her little sister quickly left the corner of the Palace hall and joined Rema where he was, sang the music together with him and both she and her little sister took photographs with Rema while the King watched them with a Royal smile.
Princess Oghogho was later mandated by the King to present the Royal plague to Rema which she did with joy and signs of happiness all over her face.
Also ahead of the concert, Rema attended the groundbreaking ceremony of a 6,000-capacity Edo Arena named after him by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki had stated that the popular musician, Rema, was a backstage performer at his 2016 inauguration ceremony.
In a post on X social media platform on Friday, Obaseki praised Rema’s achievements in the music industry, noting that he has become a global sensation in just eight years.
The governor expressed his pride in Rema’s journey, saying, “Only a few could have imagined that heisrema, who was one of the backstage acts at my inauguration in 2016, would achieve global sensation status by 2024.”
During his home coming concert on Friday, Rema could be seen showing his value for women. He had some challenges of fans jumping upstage to hug him which led to some situations where he kicked one of the fans who jumped upstage, beat the security network mounted by the bodyguards, and the fan was seen walking directly face to face to Rema when the music star kicked him and the fan was later dragged off stage by the bodyguards.
“Handle her with care, them no dey throway woman” Rema cautioned a bouncer who wanted to fling a Lady who climbed the stage to hug him. Rema thereafter gifted the lady 2 million naira.
Looking at the way he treated female fans with care, and the manner he treated the male fans at the concert, some social media users took to various online platforms to express their opinions. One of the facebook comments sections monitored, some of the social media users stated as reported below thus:
Ani Controversial: “I am the last person that will even go for celebrity concert. Talk more of climbing stage to meet one… I don’t give important to all this people”.
ThisLife: “If it was a girl he would have hug her and dance with her. Waitin man do man”.
Lovette Golden: “from my observation he didn’t hit the boy, he didn’t see the boy on time, he was just demonstrating and dancing to the music before he noticed the guy and as a result of the hands and legs he was kicking out, he hit him by mistake. But why will someone climb stage to touch rema when he is singing ozeba, music wey carry natural highness”
Adegbe Sunday: “Lovette Golden, Exactly,
Rema didn’t kick him intentionally, the boy bumped into Rema when he was about to do the Gbese leg work dance”
Vivy David: “Nawa oooo he for manage shake the boy hand na and the way his body guards pushed the boy off the long stage I pray make the boy no get better wound. Ahh that’s not fair Rema, these are your fans na. Anyways, it’s people that like going for all these concerts. If it’s a girl, would they have treated her that way? The boy sef for no climb stage like that na”
In November 2022, Rema tweeted and asked people not to compare him.
“If anyone sounds like me, I am grateful. Imagine gracing the game with hits without having an impact or influence. Sometimes, the comparison is just shameful to watch when you look at the age gap. Pikin wey dem born for 2000 dey worry you like this.”
In May 2023, Nigerian afrobeats singer, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has made his debut in the Guinness World Book of Records.
The Benin-born artiste pulled off the feat with his global hit song ‘Calm Down’ which made history as the First number 1 Hit on The Official MeNA Chart (the world’s first regional streaming chart).
Guinness World Record recognised Rema for achieving the epic feat in a statement on its website.
It confirmed that Rema was being recognised for securing the first number 1 hit on the world’s first regional streaming chart and first-ever official chart in the Middle East and North Africa (MeNA), according to Vanguard newspaper.
In 2023, several media reported that, in the Indian Music Industry chart week dated 9th, January 2023, Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ tops the chart as it begins 2023 as the number 1 song in India, according to Pulse Nigeria news network.
In July 2024, several media reported that Afrobeats star, Rema is reportedly set to be paid $3 million to perform at the wedding ceremony of Anant Ambani, son of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant.
In August, 2024, GistLover reported that the “Nigerian artist, Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, recently addressed his performance at the wedding of Anant Ambani, the son of India’s wealthiest individual, Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, the daughter of prominent pharmaceutical magnates Viren and Shaila Merchant, in a video that has gained significant attention.
Rema definitely made waves when news broke that he was allegedly paid $3 million (around ₦4.5 billion) for a performance at a fancy wedding. In a recent chat with GRM Daily, he shared that playing at that wedding was a major milestone for him.
Although he didn’t specifically say whether the ₦4.5 billion figure was accurate, the Calm Down hitmaker did mention that he got a hefty paycheck.
The interview asked: “Is it true you got paid $3million for the Ambani’s Wedding in India?”
Rema responded by saying: “Hehehe, that is all I can say to be honest, money wise it was a great achievement, it was beautiful, I love India and India loves me too.
It is just feel good to see something that people trolled me for, criticised me for and I am benefiting off of that, imagine if I had stopped, imagine if I had listen to the trolls and I think I feel I have to switch it up and four years later it paid and it paid big.”