Evi Edna Left Because of Our Dwindled Fortune - Emma Ogosi.

Byline: Ogbonna Amadi

Emma Ogosi may not be a house hold name today, but history will forever remember him as one of the pioneers of country music, a genre of music made popular in Nigeria by Bongos Ikwue. A former Air Force officer who passed out from the Air Force school with the likes of the late Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Ibrahim Alfa, Gentleman Ogosi, as the Asaba, Delta State born ,is better known by friends and relations, has certainly paid his dues in the music industry.

A founding member of PMAN and currently first vice-president of the association, Emma Ogosi is better known in the music industry for discovering Evi Edna- Ogholi, perhaps, one of the greatest female reggae musicians the country ever produced.

As a matter of fact, whenever the name, Emma Ogosi, is mentioned, the first thing that comes to the mind of most Nigerians is the face of that young Isoko woman, Evi Edna Ogholi, who tickled the nation with her home brewed reggae music in the late 80's and early 90's. Such was her fame that no party was complete without her music ruling the airwave.

Although, most of her songs were rendered in vernacular, Nigerians simply loved the cool soothing feeling of her rhythm.

Emma Ogosi may have been the man behind her success. Few Nigerians knew this, and even when they did, they never cared, as long as the rhythm from Evi ruled. Suddenly, the rhythm like a broken down windmill grounded to a slow halt. The will of fortune had halted.

And with the halt came the painful realisation that the party was over. When this happened, Evi disappeared from the scene. Initially, Nigerians thought it was a joke but 10 years after, Evi Edna is still missing in action.

Ogosi couldn't place a finger on the real reason why Evi chose to jump ships. But he would painfully say to this writer in his Ikeja office that, " I think Evi left when she couldn't cope with the sad reality that our fortune had changed. She couldn't come to terms with the fact that the party was over.

"And after four years of having to struggle to try and make ends meet, she thought she could change things. That was when she decided she needed to take a break …