LAGOS JUNE 7TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Highlife music icon Gentleman Mike Ejeagha has passed on at the age of 95. He was known for incorporating proverbs into his music.
The musician’s eldest son, Emma, who confirmed his passing on Saturday to journalists in Enugu said he died on Friday evening at approximately 8 p.m. at the 32 Garrison Hospital in Enugu after a protracted illness.
“My father passed away due to a long-standing ailment,” said Emma Ejeagha.
Born on April 4, 1930, Mike Ejeagha launched his music career in the mid-20th century and significantly influenced the evolution of music in the Igbo language for over six decades.
Ejeagha’s legacy is marked by his distinctive style of Igbo folk music, which resonated across multiple generations.
Born in Imezi Owa, Enugu State, Ejeagha rose to prominence during the 1960s and 1980s with timeless hits like Omekagu, Uwa Mgbede Ka Mma, and Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche (Gwogwogwongwo).
Ejeagha’s contributions to preserving and promoting Igbo culture through music are monumental, with over 300 recordings archived in the National Archives of Nigeria.
He gained widespread fame after he was invited by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as a guest presenter for an Igbo program, ‘Akuko N Egwu’, in 1972.
The elder statesman found fame with the new generation of music lovers two years ago when his old hit Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche ‘Gwo gwo gwo ngwo’ began trending again following a challenge by skirtmaker Brain Jotter.
Shortly after that, in September 2024, Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, commissioned four newly constructed and reconstructed roads in Abakpa Nike, in Enugu metropolis, among them the Mike Ejeagha Crescent where the music legend lived and the adjoining, popular Obinagu Road, which he renamed after him.
Mbah, who also used the occasion to visit Ejeagha at his residence, announced that the government would henceforth take full responsibility for his upkeep, describing him as a living legend.
“Recall that when you gave us your mandate, we told you that you had kept your own part of the deal and that the burden had shifted to us to fulfill our own part of the social contract.
“Recall further that we made a firm pledge that all the roads in the urban areas in Enugu must be paved.
“Recall also that last year, we awarded 71 urban roads and 10 rural roads. Those 71 urban roads had since been completed, but some of the roads we are commissioning today are not part of those 71 roads.
“In the course of constructing or reconstructing those 71 roads, we identified, in January, some roads, which were not initially captured, hence needed to be treated as an emergency.
“So, we are commissioning four roads here today and all those roads are quite significant.
“But one of those roads stands out. It is the road that leads to the home of one of our great legends and icons.
“We have always told people that Enugu State is the home of legends. It is not just sporting legends. We also have the music icons. And we have one man, Mike Ejeagha, who, through his folk songs, have largely brought memories of years gone by to our doorsteps. He is a man who reminds us of our golden heritage as a people.
“When we talked about Enugu as being the centre of art and culture, this is a man, who brought Enugu to that epicentre. So, we are here to celebrate him while he is still living with us.
“So, in honour of him, this Obinagu Road, the entire stretch of the road leading to his home, is named after him and will now be known as Mike Ejeagha Road,” he stated.
Gentleman Mike Ejeagha is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
Hs passing marks the end of an era for Nigerian highlife music, but his legacy endures through his extensive discography and the impact he left on Igbo folklore and music.
TheNiche
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