By Jude Atupulazi
It is not everybody that lives to see their wishes granted or to see what they preach being appreciated while they’re alive. But for Mike Ejeagha, that legendary folklore crooner that wowed audiences in the 70s and 80s, both have come to pass while he still lives.
Who didn’t know this man in those days when the only TV station available was the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA)? He had a thirty-minute slot every week within which he dished out his didactic folkloric songs that usually centred around some iconic animals, especially the tortoise (mbe, in Igbo the Language). Singing the praise of politicians or rich men was never his style. He rather concentrated fully on preaching virtue through his songs.
His handling of the guitar was a marvel to behold, while two of his boys played the ichaka, a round local musical instrument that made sharp noises. The guitar and the ichaka were all Ejeagha had and he used them to great effect. They were simple instruments that underlined his simple nature and people loved him.
He made little money and I’m sure he wasn’t playing to get too much of it. The little he got was probably enough for him in an era when many also had no desire to make too much money. Those were indeed halcyon days that can only be remembered today with a bit of nostalgia by those who witnessed it.
With time, Ejeagha fizzled out of public consciousness. It was not helped with the emergence of a new brand of highlife music that targeted the rich and mighty and social clubs for whom praises were sung and money flowed to those who sang their praises. I must admit that that new wave of highlife music then was sweet to the ears.
Who would not have loved such tracks as ”People’s Club” by the late highlife icon, Chief Osita Osadebe? Who would also forget the latter one sung by the effervescent late Oliver de Coque? Other highlife crooners took over from them and also sang for the rich. They made their money while we danced to the sweet melodies of their music.
Mike Ejeagha’s brand of music then, seemed all but forgotten and it was only occasionally that some radio stations chose to play his tracks and I’m sure many of the younger generation never placed a face to those tracks. One of Ejeagha’s popular tracks was titled ”Uwa Mgbede ka mma”, meaning that life in old age is sweeter.
But with the passage of time it appeared that Ejeagha would never enjoy his uwa mgbede, having made little or no money in the morning of his fame. It was even reported how he was owed by the company that produced his songs.
Thus as the curtain was drawn on his career, it appeared that what he toiled for in the morning would never be rewarded in his evening. Even in his heyday his fame did not transcend his geographical area, the South East of Nigeria.
But like a bolt out of the blues, Ejeagha’s name resonated nationally, thanks to a social media influencer, Brain Jotter, who used one of his songs to do a skit. It caught on and everybody, young and old, are today outdoing one another to dance to the steps popularized by the social media influencer. Today, Ejeagha is getting more fame and money than he made in his active days and his mgbede (old age) is now proving to be better than his morning.
What lessons are inherent in Ejeagha’s story for today’s generation that loves living and operating on the fast lane? I was looking at Ejeagha’s philosophy that teaches caution and patience, even while working hard.
These days few work hard in a positive sense but throw caution to the winds because of their impatience to reap what they didn’t even sow. They’re often influenced by negative display of affluence and false philosophies dished out by money-for-hand musicians and celebs.
At public events, even up and coming musicians harass you with their flutes, ogenes and whatever, for you to ”drop”, a popular parlance in Nigerian for giving money. They do so very unashamedly, no doubt copying from their better known idols who amassed fortunes by singing the praises of people.
That’s why the likes of Mike Ejeagha are needed today. I’m happy that Ejeagha will die a happy man, seeing that he wasn’t very stupid in enunciating the need for upholding core values.
Most of his songs were philosophical as against those of more popular musicians of his day who would sing the praises of killers, thieves and all manner of dubious people just because of money.
You can affirm that many an ignoramus had been led astray by such musicians. Ejeagha, no doubt, came in as a refreshing change and it’s no wonder that he’s being recognized, applauded and appreciated today, while the praise singers of his day have been all but forgotten.
It is good to see that GOOD still endures over BAD. This is not saying that those not like Ejeagha were bad. I also enjoyed their music. But Ejeagha was persistently didactic in his music, such that at a stage he was ridiculed for singing for animals who couldn’t give him money, unlike his contemporaries who sang for “big” men and filled their pockets with dough.
Today, all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora have keyed into the Ejeagha momentum based on the track, ”Nnam Eze Akwotam Enyi”. The ”Gwo, Gwo, Gwo, ngwo” at the end seems a fitting end to the track.
Meanwhile many Nigerians have continued to visit the Igbo folklore crooner, now in his late eighties. I watched a delegation from the Catholic Diocese of Enugu which visited him during which a priest replayed Ejeagha’s hit track with his guitar while others sang along, including the Bishop.
Later another delegation comprising young men stormed his residence in Enugu with their ogene which they used to sing some of Ejeagha’s old hit tunes. This made Ejeagha break down in tears and I couldn’t withhold mine as I watched. It was indeed heartwarming that this man who enunciated core values in his music is living to reap his reward from appreciative fans while he is alive.
If you think it is by chance that this is happening you may be wrong. Ejeagha, to the best of my knowledge, is a good man and I believe that God has chosen this moment in time to use him in showing mankind that patience remains a good virtue that pays in its own good time.
However, inasmuch as I appreciate Ejeagha and what he stands for, I pray to enjoy POSITIVELY now than later, but for all the right reasons. Note the emphasis on ”positively”. But then, the experience of Ejeagha of 2024, indeed, has yet assured us that all hope is not lost for our society. Good deeds can still be recognized. For him, truly, uwa mgbede ka mma. A deep message!
I pray that the mgbede of the long suffering Nigerians will pay off just as well. It may not be at their real mgbede but at a time they have given up all hope. So help us God!
