It is with sadness that I learnt about the death of the late Sir Victor Uwaifo, who is one of those rare music icons God Almighty bestows on a country once in a lifetime.
With his passage, Edo State, Nigeria, the African continent, and the world have lost a great personality, professor of music, ‘Guitar Boy’ as he was fondly called, a great entertainer and legend.
I want to count myself lucky to have met him during my days as an entertainment journalist who got heavily involved in the politics of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN). Sir Uwaifo was a trustee member of the music body. In the politics of who becomes the PMAN president at the time, he was one of those you must consult alongside the likes of King Sunny Ade, Emma Ogosi, the late Sunny Okosuns, Oliver De Coque, Christy Essien Igbokwe, and so many others, too numerous to mention.
He was peaceful and humane even as he stood out intellectually and artistically, and I stand to be corrected that the late icon was one of Nigeria’s most educated performing music icons. I cannot immediately recall any other music icon of his generation that is better educated now. With over 600 songs and 100 records to his credit with eight gold and two silver awards, his indelible mark and contribution to the music business in Nigeria and globally will stand undisputed for years to come. We pray God Almighty gives the family the fortitude to bear the loss.
- Jude Nwauzor is a journalist who covered the Nigerian entertainment scene for many years before becoming the spokesperson of the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON)
