Until his passing on Friday at age 95, Mike Ejeagha stood as a living archive of Igbo folklore.
The veteran highlife singer was more than a musician. He was a griot whose guitar spoke generations of wisdom.
With his passing, Nigeria has lost a cultural treasure whose infusion of storytelling with music helped shape the highlife genre and preserve oral and folklore traditions. His death is even felt by Gen Z, many of whom recently discovered the legend he was during his 2024 resurgence, as reflected in the heartfelt tributes now flooding social media platforms.
HIS EARLY YEARS EXPLORING PASSIONS
Ejeagha was born in April 1930 in Imezi Owa, Ezeagu, Enugu state. He attended St. Patrick’s Primary School, Ogbete, Enugu.
From a young age, he showed a deep interest in music, often playing ogene, a traditional Igbo sound that uses the metal gong instrument, with friends.
In a 2019 interview, he recalled how the music band he joined at age 15, called the Coal Camp Boys, would eagerly compete with other bands during festive periods to showcase their talents.
“I was part of a music band at Coal Camp. I was among the Coal Camp Boys in 1945,” he had said.
“I left school in 1948. Whenever I was done with the local music band, and Christmas is approaching with some Masquerade displays, which I was part of, we would begin playing our music called ‘Shakpara’, with other bands playing songs like ‘Dodokido’, doing their own thing too.
“Those of us from Coal Camp and those from Ogui would always rub shoulders during Christmas to know which band sings better.”
At age 19, he felt ready to explore more interests and began learning barbering from Cyprian Ozochiawa, who was both a barber and a musician. During his apprenticeship, he also learned to play the guitar from Ozochiawa.
He must have picked up guitar skills quickly because, in 1955, Joseph Ogbu invited him to join a band as their guitarist.
He earned money both from playing with the band and from barbering, which allowed him to buy his musical instruments and eventually form his band.
It was during this period that he found creative freedom and carved out his unique style, blending music with storytelling.
He released songs like ‘Ofu Nwa Ala’ (A Child Dies), ‘Nwanyi Mma a Ghara Egwu Jita Laa’ (A Beautiful Woman Ignores the Guitar Music), and ‘Don’t Divide a Child,’ inspired by a story from the Bible.
CHOOSING MUSIC EVEN AFTER THE WAR
When the Biafran War broke out, Ejeagha said he ‘ran for his life’ and returned to find all his instruments vandalised. Still, he started over and rebuilt his music from scratch.
It was after this restart that he released the viral track Gwo gwo gwo Ngwo, along with other memorable songs like Omeke Agu (one who behaves like a lion), Onye ndidi na-eri azụ ukpo (a patient dog eats the fattest bone), Ụwa mgbede ka mma (evening life is the best), and Ọfọ mara onye ji ya.
“When the war started, there was a hotel where my band played, I left my instruments there and ran for my life. When I returned, I didn’t find my equipment; vandals took everything,” he had said.
“I started all over again, I found another place to sing at Bodman Street in Enugu. With the little money I made, I bought equipment and started playing my music.”
Around that time, he also appeared as a guest presenter on the Nigerian Television Authority’s Igbo-language show ‘Akuko N’Egwu’, where he narrated stories through music.
THE RESURGENCE OF A LEGEND
In July 2024, skit maker Brain Jotter brought the legend back into the spotlight, giving a new generation a taste of Ejeagha’s timeless wisdom.
His song ‘Gwo gwo gwo’ Ngwo found new life after it featured in one of Brain Jotter’s viral dance videos.
The dance, which involves two or more people walking toward each other from opposite directions, doing a playful leg movement, and one chasing the other as the catchy chorus plays, quickly caught on.
The song was recreated in over 20,000 TikTok videos, with many Nigerians, including celebrities, joining the challenge.
Beyond the online buzz, Ejeagha’s legacy also drew attention from political leaders.
Peter Mbah, Enugu governor, also rebuilt and renamed Obinagu Road in Abakpa Nike, Enugu, in honour of Ejeagha.
The singer is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
He married his first wife, and they had three children together before her death.
He remarried in 1965 and had seven more children.
Ejeagha will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of the highlife genre in Nigeria and honoured for his influence in the evolution of music in the Igbo language for over six decades.
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