Despite his father’s affluence, Ernest Opoku Jnr., faced with the harsh realities of life without his paternal support, in 1999, made an unconventional choice to become a shoemaker for eight years, the gospel musician has said.
Ernest Opoku and his family were left to navigate life’s challenges without any assistance, and their exclusion from the father’s will, as read after his demise, coupled with the mysterious disappearance of their father’s wealth, made them grapple with a difficult and uncertain future, he said on The Delay Show aired on September 24, 2023.
“In 1999, when I completed school, my father passed away. Life became challenging, so I made the decision to become a shoemaker,” he recalled in the Twi language.
“I pursued this craft for eight years. It was a difficult time because my dad’s death left us without any financial support. My mother was unemployed, and I had five siblings.”
“Despite my father’s wealth, he never did anything meaningful to secure our future. There were no savings left for us, and the contents of his will excluded us entirely. He owned houses, but we are unaware of their fate, whether he sold them or not.”
According to Ernest Opoku who was eighteen at the time, eight years after being a shoemaker, he encountered God.
“I went to Atwea Mountains and God revealed himself to me that He was going to use me to win souls through songs,” he said as he recalled his meeting with gospel musician Oware Junior.
“From there, I moved with Oware Junior. I served him for about eight years. I washed his clothes, and accompanied him to events by holding his bag.”
Ernest Opoku said he spent eight years with Oware Junior and his meeting with one Yeboah Sekyere changed his life. Through that meeting, he recorded his first single ‘Onyame Di Hene’ which was released in 2004, a song that became a hit.
Credit: Ghanaweb.com
