After the Biafra war, a song titled “Eddie Quansa” gained popularity, but its true intrigue lies in the story behind its creation.
Following the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War, four brothers from Owerri, Imo State, decided to sell their late father’s land located in Port Harcourt. They planned to split the proceeds evenly among themselves. However, after the sale, the three older brothers kept the money, excluding the youngest, John Obikwe, from the inheritance. When John confronted them, they told him he was too young and would receive his share when he turned 40.
Frustrated and feeling betrayed, John sold his personal belongings and, with the help of a friend, relocated to Ghana, where he started doing menial jobs to survive. Unlike his brothers, John had a natural talent for music. Once in Ghana, his passion for music was reignited by the vibrant local scene. He acquired a guitar and joined a highlife band in Accra, gradually building a successful career. He also married a Ghanaian woman named Meena Sarpong and changed his name to Eddie Quansa, a nickname some say he had picked up in Port Harcourt.
As Eddie Quansa’s fame grew, his brothers, realizing their mistake, sought to reconcile with him. To win him back, they commissioned the Peacocks Guitar Band, a renowned highlife band from Owerri, to create a song that would appeal to Eddie. The result was “Eddie Quansa,” a song that quickly became a hit across Igboland.
The lyrics of the song implored Eddie to return home:
🎵Eddie Quansa bia bia o (Eddie Quansa come, come o)
Izu ka mma na nne ji (Dialogue is supreme among siblings)
Bia oo bia oooo! (Come oo come oooo!)🎵
Eddie Quansa heard the song and understood its message, but rather than returning to his brothers, he took the song and performed it with his band in Ghana, where it became wildly popular. The Peacocks Guitar Band also profited from the song’s success, as did Nigerians and Ghanaians who danced to it without grasping its deeper meaning.
Various accounts of Eddie Quansa’s later life exist: some say he became a naturalized Ghanaian, others claim he moved to India with his family, and a few believe he died in Ghana, with his spirit said to haunt Owerri. Legend has it that if one sings “Eddie Quansa” at night in Owerri, his spirit may appear.
While these tales are intriguing, their accuracy remains uncertain, and it would be interesting to hear from anyone in Owerri who might dare to test this legend.
