‘Gwogwogwom’ music legend, Mike Ejeagha dies at 95

By Alex Enebeli

Popular Enugu-based highlife musician, Mike Ejeagha, is dead.

The 95-year-old musician died after a prolonged illness, his first son, Emmanuel Ejeagha confirmed on Saturday.

The musician’s recent resurgence in popularity, sparked by the viral dance challenge of his 1983 track Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche in 2024, introduced his music to a younger audience.

This was after the song was performed the track with a dance that went viral by skit maker, Brain jotter.

But Emmanuel said his father popularly known as “Gentleman Mike Ejeagha,” passed away on Friday night.

According to him, Ejeagha died on Friday evening at about 8 p.m. at the 32 Garrison Military Hospital in Enugu after a prolonged illness.

“My father passed away due to a long-standing ailment,” he said.

Ejeagha’s legacy is marked by his distinctive style of Igbo folk music, which resonated across multiple generations.

Born on April 4, 1930, in Imezi Owa, in Ezeagu Council Area of 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 – Gwogwogwom.

Ejeagha’s contributions to preserving and promoting Igbo culture through music are monumental, with over 300 recordings archived in the National Archives of Nigeria.

Ejeagha’s 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. (NAN)