Mr Biggar Jonathan Ibekwe, also simply known as ‘Mr Biggar’ has bemoaned the state of Nigeria through his song ‘Umuaka’ which happens to be his second single. The respected gospel artiste described the song as a commentary on the gory socio-political realities in the country. The song ‘Umuaka’, which was released nationwide is an Igbo translation for children, and it calls for the inclusion of more youths in change-making policies and leadership.
How exactly did you come into music?
My mother. I inherited music, songwriting and composition from my mother. My mother is a local musician who when the community had any event, they approached to compose songs for them in my village in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area. Umunze is a musically renowned town. We have musicians there like Flavour, like the late Mc Loaf. Umunze is a foremost cultural town. So, music and songwriting for me are transgenerational; it is from my mother that I got it. Till today, she is about 94 years, and still composes songs. I discovered that when I was in secondary school, I would compose some very nice songs. While I was at the university too, I studied Theatre Arts in UNIBEN. I left in 1990, we were at Okenwa Campus. I discovered that I could sing too. When there are student events, I come up to the stage and sing songs. So throughout my life, I have been composing songs.
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In 2016 or thereabouts I did my first commercial song and the title was ‘Rapture’ that was my first album. After Rapture, I did ‘Heaven’s Telephone Number’, those were fine songs. Then I did ‘With Jesus, Adim Okay’. ‘Rapture’ had six tracks, Heaven’s Telephone Number’ had six tracks too and ‘With Jesus Adim Okay’ had five tracks. Then I did a song, a single – ‘One Nigeria’. Now we are talking about Umuaka, Umuaka means ‘children’. You do it because you are inspired, through inspiration. There is still an urge for you to do something, so I had this urge. When you look at society, we tend to pay less attention to children. When you check how many artistes have tried to do something for children, not much. So the Lord laid it upon my heart, He gave me this instruction, do something for children which possibly I intend to push to the United Nations to see how we partner to project the affairs of children.
Before you came into music professionally, what were you doing?
I had about 12 years sojourn out of Nigeria, that is in Taiwan. There, I studied Chinese Language and Culture, I taught English as well. So when I came back here, I decided to bring in some Chinese, and we opened up some business ventures which we are still actively doing right now.
When exactly did you get this call to be a gospel musician?
If you say when, I’ll tell you I got the call from childhood because you see yourself writing songs and having this push to sing this song every time and let people hear it. It is like you are choked with the urge to come out. You go to the bedroom, you see yourself praising God. And you have forgotten the song you were singing and you knew that somebody was listening. Somebody now advised me that these songs are very rare, they are good. Keep them in your voice note so that you don’t keep forgetting them. When I play them, people “say, ‘wow’, why don’t you make people hear the song? Put it into a three-dimensional form, and let people hear it”. So when you say, when did you have this urge, I might say from my childhood
Okay, why gospel and not secular music?
Yes, I handed over my life to Christ in 1991 and I can’t find myself singing secular songs. I use songs to praise God. Most of my songs are praise worship, singing to the Glory of God.
This ‘Umuaka’, what language is the song written?
It is an interplay of English and Igbo.
Can you read out the lyrics and tell us the significance of the song?
Umuaka eeh…that’s it’s praising children. Children are wonderful, children are lovable, children are excellent, children are calm….they don’t do juju, they don’t get involved in fetish. Their minds are so pure, so clean, their mind is so wide but along the line, you see where a child says “Teacher, tell me what to do so that when I grow, I want to be a lawyer”. “Teacher tell me what to do so that when I grow, I want to be a doctor”
The teacher responds “My son, read your books, do your assignment. Obey your teacher, obey your parents, obey your elders so that when you grow, you’ll be a lawyer” Readers are leaders, readers are leaders, readers are leaders, all over the world. We moved in from Moral Instruction to Politics teaching them that readers are leaders all over the world. Morally, be upright, obey your teachers, obey your parents, obey your elders and now you will have fulfilment.
Asides from the responsibility of a child to obey his leaders and read, you know that in this part of the world, for three to four months now, the school has been on strike which has affected not only the morals but also the ethical attitude of the child. Some of them have spent about seven years instead of four years in school. And they are kind of disappointed in the leaders’ attitude towards their welfare. Do you have any counsel for children in this regard and also the leaders?
One particular issue that prompted this urge to do this music was a kind of commentary on society. We are talking about a decadent society which is what we are presently experiencing. I don’t understand a situation where a responsible government will not be interested in the future of children, I certainly don’t understand it. I tried to research to find out which other countries in the world experience the rampancy of lecturers’ strikes, but I didn’t see anyone to be compared with Nigeria. We run an irresponsible system that does not recognize the destiny and fate of our youths. Do you get it? So what do you say? The government should sit up. If you destroy education, you destroy their future. If you destroy your children, you destroy your future, I think that’s precisely what it is and we are presently destroying education when other countries are voting almost 45% of their annual budget for education. Our own is a very insignificant portion of our investment. It is absurd.
In the estate where I live, I saw them organizing a birthday party. I went to the DJ and said “It’s a children’s party” He said yes. So I said I have a little music I want to play, I am an artiste. So I inserted the video and the children came. Before you know it, they started playing. So when the music was now played, the children were now able to identify with it, jumping. You know children, when they see what belongs to them, they can identify it and key in.