Renowned Igbo highlife maestro, Mike Ejeagha, has passed on at the age of 95. Known for blending folklore and proverbs into music, he died on Friday, June 6, 2025, at 32 Garrison Hospital in Enugu after a prolonged illness. Tributes continue to pour in for the cultural legend.
- Mike Ejeagha died at 8 p.m. in Enugu after battling an illness.
- Rose to fame in the 1980s with folk-heavy highlife tunes on the radio.
- Gained renewed fame in July 2024 through Brain Jotter’s viral dance challenge.
- His song narrating a tortoise’s trickery revived interest in Igbo oral tradition.
- Enugu Governor Peter Mbah honoured him in 2024 by renaming a street after him and pledging to cover his bills.
Ejeagha's music was more than entertainment, it was a preservation of Igbo wisdom and wit. His legacy shows how culture can live across generations, evolving from radio airplay to TikTok virality. His renewed relevance proves that indigenous storytelling still has the power to connect, educate, and inspire.
As the curtains fall on a life richly lived in service of music and culture, Nigeria remembers Mike Ejeagha not just as a musician but as a vessel of tradition. Will the next generation carry the torch of cultural preservation through art?
