Real reason we buried ‘Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ crooner Ejeagha within 24 hours – Family

The family of late Nigerian highlife maestro, Mike Ejeagha, has revealed that the music icon was buried just a day after his passing, in strict adherence to his final wishes.

Ejeagha, known and loved for his timeless classic “Gwo Gwo Ngwo”, passed away at the age of 95 on the night of Friday, June 6, 2025, following a prolonged illness.

By Saturday morning, he had already been laid to rest at his hometown in Umuagba, Imezi-Owa, in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

According to his eldest son, Emmanuel Ejeagha, the swift burial was not out of urgency, but respect.

READ ALSO: FG asked to immortalize highlife icon, Mike Ejeagha

He added that 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. Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah was informed about it and they all consented that whatever was his wish should be kept.

“There are a lot of consequential results if an elder said something and otherwise was done,” Emmanuel said.

He also disclosed that the veteran musician’s funeral ceremony would be announced soon.

Born Michael Ifeanyichukwu Ejeagha in Enugu in 1930, the self-styled folklore custodian spent more than six decades collecting proverbs and idioms, weaving them into guitar-driven narratives that preserved Igbo oral tradition.