Provoked by the death of Professor Harry Garba, making three key actors to have died from Nigeria’s creative space between January and February 2020, Intervention published the story “Chukwuemeka Ike, Then Victor Olaiya and Now, Harry Garba, Haba!” (https://intervention.ng/19171/). The piece provoked an enthusiast of two of the three who then put pen to paper in what is published below. The author is of the Department of Mass Communications, Veritas University, Abuja.
The author
By Samuel Okoh
Let me start by wishing the creative souls of all the three icons you featured in your March 6th, 2020 piece – Chukwuemeka Ike, Victorr Olaiya and Harry Garba to rest in peace. I don’t know Prof Harry Garba but I can make some comments about Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya aka “Papinga Dabalaya” and Chukwuemeka Ike. I read one or two of Ike’s works because of the love my literature teacher in school had for him way back then. His books were not part of the recommended literature materials for my set while in secondary school. In our time, it was Prof Wole Soyinka and Ngugi Wa Thiongo, the Kenyan writer. I hope I would still get more of Ike’s novels and read them up in future.
For Victor Olaiya, I know him very well because i grew up listening to him. In fact, as an intern with Champion newspapers, I covered his book launch at his stadium hotel after National Stadium, Surulere in 1995. Dr Olaiya autographed the book for me after which I forwarded the published story with my byline to him. Unfortunately I gave the book to my Editor then, Chief Njoku Nwabueze.
I played his popular tunes with my high school highlife band especially the one I love so much ” Baby Jowo” which he later reproduced with Tuface Idibia. Once again may their creative souls rest in peace!
My love for highlife music started at a very tender age, am sure the music has always been there in my house but I became conscious of it at about four and it continued till I became a young adult. My first physical contact with a popular highlife came in late 70s while in primary school and that musician was Eddy Okonta. His mastery of the Trumpet (the instrument that distinguished highlife musicians from others) was so great that he was called ” Obi of Trumpet”. Eddy is from my town “Akwukwu Igbo” in Oshimili North of Delta State. Eddy and my Dad knew each other back in the village before coming to Lagos and anytime he was within my neighbourhood in Lagos Island then, he will pass by to say hello to Dad.
At that age, I became conversant with highlife icons like Bobby Benson, Cardinal Rex Lawson, Celestine Ukwu, (E T Mensah from Ghana) and Sir Dr Victor Olaiya which I will talk about later in this piece. Many do not know Fela Anikulapo Kuti started as highlife musician until he later changed over to Afro Beat. Sir Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya ( aka Papinga Dabalaya) started singing in the 50s and like some of his fellow highlife stars, come to stage with Trumpet and white handkerchief to perform.
Olaiya’s afro hair style is unique because there is a small portion of it that came up with grey hair while the remaining part is black and he maintained this style until he died few weeks ago. Dr Olaiya sang in Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin English to the admiration of his highlife fans in the West African Coast, particularly Ghana.
We were made to understand that his musical exploits in the 60’s and performance during Nigeria’s independence earned him OBE from the British Government and, hence, his ‘Sir’ title.
Olaiya entertained highlife fans at his Stadium Hotel for many years. It was where I attended the book launch mentioned earlier and where he gave excellent performance His major performance lately was his collaboration with Tuface Idibia where they reproduced his 60’s major hit “Baby Jowo”, many thanks to people like Tunde Kilani who made it happen.
Finally, finally, may the soul of Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya, Obi of Trumpet aka Eddy Okonta and aka Eddy Nwa Mama and other highlife fallen heroes rest in peace!
