By Kossy Ebunilo
All roads in the South East in particular and Nigeria in general led to the International Conference Centre, Awka on Saturday, 6th December 2025 for the twilight book launch of the Doyen of Arts in Nigeria, the revered, renowned, versatile, celebrated, legendary, household-name and foremost Nigerian longest living Nonagenarian Musicologist, Igwe Prof. Laz Nnanyelu Ekwueme, NNOM, CON, Eze Ijikala II, Ozioko Igwe Oko.
An estimated sum of N20 million was realized during the launching. The highest sum of N3.25 million was donated by Barr. Ifekandu Okafor. The duo that donated the sum of N2.5 million were Governor Alex Oti of Abia State and the Primate, Christ Holy Church International and President, Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), His Eminence, Daniel Chukwudumebi Okoh.
Those that donated N1 million were Chief Vin. Obianodo, Chief Obi Okafor and Chief Felix Ezeamama. Other donations were between N500,000 and N50,000.
The Chairman of the occasion Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, CON, former Governor of Enugu State extolled the intellectual depth of Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme whose pioneering musical activity raised a generation of Musicologists both in Nigeria and Africa having attended highly rated Royal College of Music, London and ivy Yale University in US. He eulogized his younger brother, Prof. Obumneme Ekwueme who taught him Surgery at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus and his elder brother Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Nigeria’s former Vice-President who he claimed mentored the entire Nwodo family in politics.
The former Governor of Anambra State and Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 Presidential election in the country, Mr. Peter Obi expressed regrets that great intellectuals in the mold of Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme were always neglected, undermined and undervalued in Africa unlike in the Western World and called on the Nigerian youths to emulate the sterling qualities and achievements of Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme.
The book launch attracted a cross-section of the roll call of the crème de la crème of prominent political leaders, traditional rulers, the academia, Captains of Industries, friends and well-wishers in the country. The Governor of Anambra State Prof. Charles Chukwuema Soludo, CFR Oluatuegwu was the Chief Host.
The book launch also attracted several prominent traditional rulers in the South East and beyond. They include the Obi of Onitsha and Chairman Emeritus of Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe CFR, mni, Agbogidi; His Majesty Chidubem Iweka III, Ogadagidi, Igwe Obosi; His Majesty, Israel Osita Okeke-Ezue, Egbeanagba Anyanwu, Igwe Awa Chairman, Orumba North Traditional Rulers Council, etc.
The book reviewer of the Christmas Carols book launch, Prof. Onyee Nwankpa of the Department of Music, University of Port-Harcourt stated that the book “Christmas Carols from Nigeria is a collection of twenty-six (26) carols reflecting diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes of Nigeria. ” He also stated that the carols cover the Edo/Bini, Efik/Ibibio, English, Hausa, Igbo, Kalabari, Urhobo plus Yoruba languages.”
The book reviewer further described the book as a unity project that “exhibits artistic prowess, peace and social integration in Nigeria through choral music performance and sharing, as well as the Christian philosophy of the composer”. He concluded the book review by eulogizing the outstanding contributions of the composer and editor of the book in Musical development in Nigeria, Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme. He stated that he “has made significant contributions to indigenous choral works both secular and sacred… has performed widely, nationally and internationally, as a soloist and as a conductor.”
Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme ascended to the throne of Igwe of Oko in 2003 after retirement from the Department of Music, University of Lagos in 2001, a department he founded in 1974 as its first Head of Department. This was after acquiring a PhD in Music from Yale University, USA in 1972. Transiting and transforming from a highly visible role of Commander of the National Choir to yet another highly visible role as the traditional ruler of Oko community must be a mixed blessing of sorts.
The nonagenarian wears a distinct white hair reminiscent of Albert Einstein – well trimmed protruding white beard, widely alert piercing, probing, prying and penetrating eyes that misses nothing around him, deceptively lean carriage packed with receding vibrant energy and walking stick. The enigmatic lion cuts the figure of a man of great learning at home with his legacies; full of confidence in his ability to overreach himself by exploring further the fortunes his environment can offer. Generally, there are no dull moments in the life of Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme.
Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme’s evolution as the doyen of arts spanned over 8 decades and is as old as his existence on earth. Like a joke and in a nutshell, it all began as a dancer, singer and dramatist. Then he snowballed into a poet, composer, director, author of bestseller books, actor, and producer and currently the traditional ruler of Oko community in Anambra State. Ironically, he excelled naturally more in Science subjects in his secondary school days than in Arts and could have “bestrode the two worlds like a colossus” if humans were to live split lives.
Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme was not born with a silver spoon nor was his palm kernel cracked for him by a benevolent spirit. He cracked the palm kernel himself. He did not achieve success in his professional career in a platter of gold. Through dint of hard work, discipline, resilience and determination, he carved a niche for himself.
The difficulties triggered by the demise of his father Lazarus Ibeabuchi Ekwueme, a C.M.S. licensed agent on 7th February 1942 at the age of 43 when the lad Laz was barely 7 years old, the 4th child of his father in a family of seven shattered the prospect of his continued education and the survival of his family. The most devastating of the several challenges and setbacks that arose to abort his education was the perennial non-payment of his school fees on time. He was often sent away from class for periods of between two to three weeks in his school days during his Standard 1 to Standard 6 at C.M.S. Primary School, Ekwulobia between 1943 -1948. Despite the repeated setbacks he comes back paradoxically to top his class during examinations within the period.
Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme did not achieve success in life through the shadow of anybody, not even his beloved immediate elder famous brother, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. Both made waves and rose to stardom independently and at their own pace in the sands of time. Igwe Laz Ekwueme has a very passionate profound impression of his late elder brother. He eulogized him thus; “Alex was like Solomon … endowed with wisdom, wealth and women. Alex has extraordinary intellect from primary school where he jumped Standard 2 to Standard 3 in one academic year. His intellect led him to King’s College Lagos and to overseas to study. Overseas, in a spate of 5 years, he acquired strings of degrees in History, Sociology, Law, Architecture and Town Planning.”
Creative arts in any guise are akin to a second skin to Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme and come involuntarily and almost effortlessly unlike in the sciences where he paradoxically excelled more! His dancing skills in particular manifested very early in life. In his pre-teenage age in the early 1940s village dancing troupes in Oko his home town spontaneously engaged his services as one of the leading dancers in their exhibitions at events aimed at extracting money from audiences during performances.
Perfection in anything he lays his hands on is also second nature to him. He does not compromise standards. To him second best does not exist but the best. Current generation of Nigerians that glosses over everything will find his philosophy of life perplexing and even unacceptable. Unfortunately, it is the stuff that makes great men and the lot of geniuses for centuries.
Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme cultivated, nurtured, imbibed, watered and cemented his character from the cradle to adulthood. His experience as an English Language and Literature, Mathematics and Music teacher at Lagos City College owned by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe between 1957 – 1960 sealed it irrevocably. Some of his outstanding students at the College were General Ike Nwachukwu, former Governor of Imo State and former Senator, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Prof. Onuora Nwuneli, a distinguished professor of Mass Communication in Nigeria.
The nonagenrian till date instinctively corrects every incorrect spoken or written English by those privileged to be close to him. He has the uncanny flair of always reinventing himself and being relevant in every succeeding generation. Having mastered the typewriter keyboard as a Clerk of Eastern Nigeria Local Government in 1954 he consolidated it by being computer literate in Word Perfect computer application software. He types and arranges virtually all his musical compositions, seminar papers, articles, poems and books. A Desktop computer with its accessories and HP digital printer in the library in his palace bears testimony to this fact.
In retrospect the emergence of Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme as the traditional ruler of Oko may not have met the expectations of a cross-section of Oko people in particular and the public in general accustomed to choice of well-to-do people to the throne rather than those from the commanding heights of the academia or the ivory tower. Historically, people who lived ahead of their time often suffer negligence and isolation because their actions no matter how well intentioned seldom meets the expectations of the people.
Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme owes his sustained interest in Music to Alfred Farmer, his highly endowed British polymath technical assistant teacher at Government College Umuahia in the early 1950s who watered the seed of music already planted in his virgin mind from infancy to blossom and bear incredible fruit over time. He blazed the trail as the maiden Nigerian professor of Music on 19th March 1978 at the age of 43.
Igwe Laz Ekwueme envisions the book launch as his last outing as a prolific writer of international repute. This can be gleaned from his letter to prominent invitees to the book launch where he stated thus: “This is part of our intention to leave some of our creative works as a legacy for posterity, before we pass on.”
The documented great intellectual legacies of Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme are the stuff that builds great people, institutions, organizations and the society. It should motivate and inspire contemporary generation of Nigerians to strive for honesty and excellence in all their endeavours. Hook or crook ways of life is akin to placing a cat before the horse.
A live vocomotion chorale playing some of the Christmas Carole being launched was directed by Prof. Alvan-Ikoku Nwamara. The Nonagenarian, Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme later joined the live chorale to showcase once more the singing and commanding skills in the song Mary muru nwa ohuu, a nostalgic glimpsethat set him apart as the grandmaster of Music in Nigeria for all time!
Kossy Ebunilo is a Journalist/Public Affairs Analyst