The Folklore Eddie Kwansa
Story has it that Peacocks music band with Nze Dan Orji as the lead vocalist recorded a hit track to appeal to one John Obikwe to forgive his elder brothers and return home to Owerri from Ghana.
According to folklore passed down for about 40 years or more in Igbo land especially among people from Imo State, a certain John Obikwe, a young man, tall, dark in complexion and very handsome man with thick hair, and the last son who had three elder brothers.
It was said that he was an excellent guitarist who expertly plucked the heartstrings of many young women, especially as he loved to frequent all the fun spots and joints in the city.
They said when the Nigerian civil war began in the late 60s and life in Owerri was on the lowest ebb, John Obikwe and his brothers lived a low keyed life, hid many times to avoid forceful conscription by the Biafran army until the war ended in 1970 leaving Owerri the erstwhile capital of the short-lived Republic of Biafra in ruins.
However, just by a stroke of luck, John Obikwe and his brothers discovered that their late father had left behind a big parcel of land in Port Harcourt in Rivers State. Thereafter, they held a meeting and decided to sell the land and share the money equally among the four of them and even signed the agreement.
But that after the land sale, Obikwe’s elder brothers refused to give him his share saying he was too young to be part of the sharing and told him to wait until he turned 40 years of age.
But young John was infuriated, and in protest, he announced he was leaving the family and that he was no longer part of the family. They laughed and mocked him.
John had then gathered his few possessions and sold them to raise money and thereafter left for Ghana with only his guitar.
That upon relocation to Ghana, he stayed at 15 Banyard Street, off Yadi Layout, Accra and however changed his name to Eddie Kwansa.
So in a bid to survive, he took up odd jobs and then later joined a highlife music band in Accra, Ghana and soon fortune smiled on him and he became rich.
Within a few years, Eddie Kwansa became a rich man in Ghana. He married a beautiful young lady named Meena Sarpong, the girl-with-the-chocolate-skin-and-thick-hips.
He was said to have became one of the prominent men in Accra, was a rich merchant and a highlife musician. His band was popular and played at many shows.
Soon, news of Eddie Kwansa’s success reached his family back in Owerri and his elder brothers sent emissaries to beg him for forgiveness and return at least for visits.
But Eddie swore not to have anything to do with them ever again. Even when his brothers went to visit him in Ghana, he refused them entry and audience so they returned to Owerri deeply guilty for their actions against their brother.
Then upon return to Nigeria, they approached a new highlife band in Owerri called the Peacocks Guitar Band to record a song to appeal to him to forgive them and return home at least sometimes. They were so sure that being a musician, he would listen to the song and have a change of heart towards them especially as he had become rich and influential.
And then after months of pressure, the band recorded the track titled “Edikwansa” and it became a hit track in Owerri and Eastern Nigeria. With the message izu kam mma na nneji which when translated loosely means it’s better to live in peace with your kith and kin because nneji in Owerri dialect means kith and kin.
Unfortunately, Eddie heard the song but turned deaf ears. People said he rather adopted the song and played it upon request since he spoke fluent Owerri dialect for his Igbo audience who had migrated just like him in search of greener pastures.
This story has been told severally to many people of Igbo descent and because it is believed, many hold on to it and even make reference to it when settling family disputes.
How New Masquerade Television Programme Popularised The Story
But the part that can be confirmed was that the New Masquerade theatre group came to television with a comedy titled New Masquerade and the song Eddie kwansa as their signature tune. The song became very popular throughout Nigeria because of the show and popularised the folklore which will still be passed down to unborn generations by their forebears.
The New Masquerade programme produced by late James Iroha had Chief Chika Okpala who played the role of Chief Zebrudaya, the moralist with high sounding words he coined to show brilliance.
Other actors on set were his television wife, Ovularia; Giringory the producer played the role of a house boy. Chief Jegede who tried to make brisk money but landed in trouble most times and several others.
The Song Eddie kwansa
Lead vocalist of the Peacocks Music band, Nze Dan Orji his demise in 2015, was a gifted Bongo song vocalist, exceptionally good with poetry and was known to immediately string off a tune from whatever was been discussed to his hearing. He was described as greatly gifted with words backed with deep igbo proverbs.
Godwin Ofoegbu: idea behind Eddie kwansa track
Nze James Chinonye a senior lecturer at the Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education Owerri who is currently working on a book on Eddie kwansa said the tale was untrue though he admitted that someone, Mr Godwin Ofoegbu did talk Peacocks music band to sing the song.
He said Ofoegbu had convinced Nze Dan Orji, the lead vocalist of Peacocks band to sing a song to celebrate Igbo people just like Evangelist Ebenezar Obey had done in a song titled “board members”.
According to him, there was no truth in the trending online version of Edikwansa been a ghost who showed up anytime the song was sang in the night, let alone refuse to return to Owerri.
He said it was a story concocted by someone which had unfortunately gained widespread acceptance even when it is falsehood.
Insight About Nze Dan Orji composer of Edikwansa song
Ugo Stevenson, crooner of Ndaa Chineke a hit track in Igbo land, is the founder of All Igbo Music awards, Bongo music awards, and facilator of Imo State Based Artistes and a widely known mentee of late Nze Dan Orji said there is no truth in the story arguing that there is no Eddie kwansa anywhere.
According to him, the Eddie Quansa story was just a creation by someone but had passed on for over 30 years.
Stevenson said “late Nze Dan Orji was my godfather in the music industry, he adopted me as his mentee and from then took me to almost everywhere and confided industry secrets in me. After I released my first album Ndaa Chineke, he came looking for me because he was impressed with the originality, he adopted me.
“Back then I asked him which family the Eddie Kwansa hailed from in Owerri and after a good laughter, he said it was a folklore but passed with his signature tune Eddie kwansa.
“According to him, there’s nobody called Eddie kwansa. It’s the title of the song written, composed, and produced by the group Peacocks International Band led by Ralph Amarabem. But that song was written and delivered by Nze Dan Orji who was the lead vocalist of Peacocks band. It’s the first song in the album Abiriwa which later became the signature tune of the New Masquerade that kicked off from Aba while he was living in Aba that time too.
“He told me that Ralph Amarabem who used to be a lead guitarist for late Rex Lawson came back from Ghana, he joined him Nze Dan, later Aka Nkwopara left Rex too and joined them. Rex Lawson’s mother was from Orji here in Owerri and due to his warm relationship with his maternal people, Ralph and Aka had no problems following him to Ghana as band members.
“The entry of the two men redefined the palmwine music culture here which they changed to Bongo music and soon the album Abiriwa which contained the track Eddie kwansa and seven others changed the concept here in the east.
“The track Eddie kwansa is a song and not any personality according to him. Nze Dan was such a creative person who could easily string up a tune from your discussions laced with deep igbo proverbs and he rose to become a mentor to all of us. He was our own Chinua Achebe in Igbo folklore music because of his ingenuity to write, compose, and deliver poems which he sang as songs”, Stevenson said.
According to him, following the success of a song by the revered Evangelist Ebenezer Obey titled “board members”, an Igbo man who he had huge respect for, Mr Godwin asked Dan Orji to string up a song to celebrate his Owerri brothers or Igbos generally, to show that they were doing well just like the Yoruba successful businessmen praised by Ebenezer Obey in his song.
Further, he said the bulk of the people mentioned in that Edikwansa were well to do Imo people resident in Owerri or Aba where Nze Dan lived.
He said “safe for the chorus Edikwansa which Nze Dan said was poetic licence, every other thing he said was to mention people’s names and reinforce the need for unity irrespective of where the person lives or operates from”.
An Owerri Man Version
On his part, Prof Jachimike Adiele who was a former local government chairman of Owerri Municipal where the supposed John Obikwe hailed from, and had unfettered access to the late Nze Dan Orji, corroborated Stevenson’s story.
Prof Adiele said before Orji passed, he had asked him at different occasions the story behind the song and the Obikwe family where the Eddie kwansa hailed from.
He said “from my discussion with Dan during one of our meetings, he said the idea was that it was better to be in peace with your kith and kin because he lived in Aba which was outside Owerri.
“Nze told me that there was no Eddie Kwansa who they were appealing to return home. There is no family that told him to sing that song and that was always his version anytime I asked”.
According to Adiele, izu kam mma na nneji which when translated loosely means it’s better to live in peace with your kith and kin in Owerri dialect doesn’t strictly mean siblings, it also meant kith and kin.
Adiele said “basically, Dan was saying that family is more important to any other thing. As at that time he lived in Aba, present day Abia State and had lots of people who he considered his brothers and sisters and so he mentioned them in the song.
“Echeruo uyo echeruo onye bi ama which means whenever you remember your people, you also remember those who live abroad or outside the community and Eddie Kwansa must have certainly been one of them. So basically whenever he thought about home, he also thought about those people who lived outside then just like him that he considered kith and kin. And those were the people he mentioned like John Anyaehie, his own brother Emmanuel Orji, Maria Egu who were all doing well”, Prof Adiele explained.
Further, the Professor said nobody knew where the supposed Eddy Kwansa’s family, siblings and children are.
Anyone Seen Eddie kwansa ghost yet
Interestingly, nobody has admitted to see the Edikwansa ghost after singing the song in the night either in the house or outside in the dark while many admit they are too scared to try the myth.
Mrs Amaka Okere who runs a pub said in years past during arguments by drinkers, they had sang the song at night waiting to see Eddie kwansa appear with his warning but regretted that almost 20 years of running a bar, not a single customer has admitted to see the ghost.
According to her, it was surprising that despite the rich cultural heritage of Owerri people who still hold their Oru Owerre day to signify their new yam festival, there’s not a single person nor family linked to Edikwansa or John Obikwe.
Mrs Okere said “Owerri people though they prefer you call them Owerre despite their rich cultural heritage passed down via generations are yet to claim this story. Not a single person nor family has ever been identified with the Eddie kwansa story and yet the same fable is passed down especially by grand parents to their children to reiterate unity and togetherness especially when they pass on. I believe someone must have told the story at a public place and left a huge impression on everyone who went back to their various destinations and spread the story. That story is nothing short of what we call beer parlour tales”, she said.
Today’s Eddie kwansa
An elder statesman, Mr Paul Chukwu who was one of the upwardly mobile men in Owerri showbiz in the 80s and 90s said a foremost DJ, Sam Brown who was a friend to Dan Orji told him that the song was done for Godwin Ofoegbu who hails from Ofoegbu large family in Umunahu village in Uratta.
Chukwu said “I have read several comments but I heard about the story in the early 80s when Nze Dan Orji was still alive. Eddie kwansa was a friend to Ben Wood that time while Sam Brown who was a foremost DJ at IBS told me about the story.
“He said Eddie Kwansa was one of those considered a big boy then who sojourned to Lagos and was living good from Ofoegbu family. His brother, Alloy Ofoegbu was a contractor in Owerri local government then.
“However this Eddie kwansa version who was allegedly cheated and relocated to Ghana I don’t know who that one is. It’s a story I read on Facebook and social media handles just like you”.
Godwin Ofoegbu aka Eddie kwansa
Findings showed that one Mr Godwin Ofoegbu with the nickname Eddie kwansa who hails from Eshimeshi kindred Umunahu village in Uratta in the Owerri North local government area of Imo state was the person who talked Dan Orji to sing the song.
