BY: EMMANUEL CHUKWUMA, ENUGU.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed profound grief over the passing of Nigeria’s foremost highlife musician, folklorist, and cultural icon, Mike Ejeagha, calling on both the federal and Enugu State governments to take immediate and lasting steps to immortalize his legacy and institutionalize his vast body of work.
Mike Ejeagha reportedly passed away on Friday, June 6, 2025, at about 8 p.m. at the 32 Garrison Hospital in Enugu, following a long battle with prostate cancer. He was aged 95.
Born on April 4, 1930, in Imezi Owa, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Ejeagha’s life was a remarkable odyssey of culture, wisdom, and music. For over six decades, he remained a towering figure in African folklore and traditional music, using his melodious compositions as a vessel to transmit indigenous knowledge, ethics, and philosophies across generations. With more than 300 songs to his credit, most of which are preserved in the National Archives, Mike Ejeagha was more than just a musician — he was a philosopher in rhythm.
In a statement on Saturday by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the association emphasized that Mike Ejeagha should not be remembered only as a highlife legend but also as a national philosopher and cultural intellectual, whose music elevated Nigerian and African traditions to global admiration.
“Mike Ejeagha didn’t just play music, — he preached timeless values, preserved oral traditions, and spoke in proverbs that transcended tribal boundaries. His messages were profoundly philosophical and deeply ethical. His music deserves to be studied as literature and philosophy, just like Chinua Achebe’s works are studied globally. Ejeagha deserves national immortality,” the statement read.
HURIWA noted with concern that, while the Enugu State Government had made commendable efforts to honour the music legend—such as renaming a road after him in 2024—the Federal Government is yet to take any visible step to immortalize him at the national level.
The association urged Governor Peter Mbah to lead the charge in pushing for a national recognition of the late icon, adding that the process must begin from Enugu State, as his birthplace and cultural base, and then move up to federal institutions.
“We call on the Enugu State Government not to rest at naming a road after him but to build a Mike Ejeagha Centre for African Folklore and Music Philosophy in his honour and work with the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to ensure that his music becomes part of the General Studies curriculum in Federal Universities. If Enugu fails to push, the Federal Government may never act. The effort must begin at home,” HURIWA stated.
The association further stressed that Mike Ejeagha’s music was instrumental in shaping moral consciousness and intellectual curiosity among many Nigerians, particularly in Eastern Nigeria, adding that through iconic tracks like Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche, he blended storytelling, folklore, and proverbs with rich musical instrumentation, offering not just entertainment but deep moral lessons.
The association recalled that in 2024, his legacy was revived among younger audiences when his song became the soundtrack to a viral dance trend led by comedian Brain Jotter — a testament to his timeless relevance.
HURIWA emphasized that Nigeria must stop waiting for her heroes to receive global awards or foreign endorsements before recognizing their value.
“This was a man who placed Nigeria on the global map long before satellite television and social media,” the group noted. “He was a global thinker rooted in local tradition. Mike Ejeagha deserves the posthumous national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) or even the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).”
The association also urged the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Ministry of Information and Culture to launch a national archive and public enlightenment series to project the works of cultural icons like Ejeagha, in order to educate young Nigerians about the roots of their cultural identity.
HURIWA called on the National Assembly to consider naming the proposed National Centre for Cultural Preservation and Philosophy after Mike Ejeagha, while recommending that the Nigerian Copyright Commission work with his family to digitize and make accessible his full discography for public and academic purposes.
“In a country where cultural memory is often lost to poor documentation and lack of foresight, we cannot afford to let Mike Ejeagha fade into history uncelebrated. He deserves more than obituaries, he deserves eternal honour.”