Julius Okorie
Family and kinsmen of legendary folklorist Gentleman Mike Ejeagha obeyed his wish to the letter as he was laid to rest at his Enugu residence barely 48 hours after his demise.
The late master story teller had directed while he was alive that his remains should neither be embalmed nor be taken to the morgue but committed to mother earth without delays.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe nonagenarian whose contributions to cultural heritage through his story telling music that boasts of life lessons, has been hailed by Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora. His remains was laid to rest after prayers by a retinue of clergymen who prayed for the repose of his soul at Umuagba, Imezi-Owa, in Enugu State’s Ezeagu Council Area on Saturday, 24 hours after passing away on Friday night.
Eldest son of the legendary highlife maestro, Emmanuel Ejeagha revealed that his father expressed a request and told them not to embalm him when he dies.
READ ALSO:Legendary Mike Ejeagha Dies At 95
He said his father sternly instructed him as the first son that when he passed on, nobody should embalm him.
“I contacted members of my family and informed them that my father made a wish that he should be laid to rest 24 hours after his death.
“I also summoned a meeting of my kindred, and we discussed extensively, and even Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State was informed about it, and they all consented that whatever his wish was should be kept.
“There are a lot of consequential results if an elder said something and otherwise was done,” he said.
He, however, said that his funeral ceremony would be announced soon.
The highlife music icon, known for incorporating proverbs into his music, died at the 32 Garrison Hospital in Enugu at the age of 95 after a protracted illness.
Gentleman Mike Ejeagha was seen in many quarters not just as a musician and entertainer, but as a teacher and story teller whose genre of music carry a lot of wisdom.
Aside from entertaining, Ejeagha was a custodian of culture. His efforts in documenting traditional Igbo music and folklore saw him contribute more than 300 recordings to the National Archives of Nigeria. Some of his evergreen songs include the Enyi Ga Chi “Gwo gwo gwo ngwo”, Uwam Mgbede Kan ma, Onye Ndidi N’eli Azu Ukpo.o to mention just a few.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
