‘Guitar Boy’ Laid To Rest, As Governor Godwin Obaseki Names Edo Creative Hub After Music Icon

BoomRadioNG | October 16, 2021

Legendary highlife musician, Professor Victor Uwaifo, fondly referred to as the Guitar Boy, was on Friday, buried in his residence at the Victor Uwaifo Avenue, off College-Ekenwan Road in Benin, after his funeral mass at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in the Edo State capital.

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, while speaking at the funeral mass, disclosed that the newly-constructed Edo State Creative Hub would be named after the iconic musician, who on August 28, at the age of 80, passed on at the Edo government-owned Stella Obasanjo Specialist Hospital, Sapele Road, Benin.

Obaseki said: “As a mark of honour to this legend (Uwaifo), the government of Edo State has decided that our newly-constructed Edo State Creative Hub will be named after him.

“The Creative Hub, which is going to be inaugurated during the second week of November this year, has a multi-million dollar sound stage for production for artistes. It will promote creative arts in Edo State. It has an editing suite to filter contents, including animation. It will incubate state-based groups and artistes. It will be used for live shows and stage plays. It has studio spaces for artistes from Nollywood to come and rent spaces for their productions and there will be space for developing skills in the creative arts. “That is the least we can do for a man who changed the face of music in Nigeria, for a man who composed the song, Joromi, that was the first song from Nigeria and Africa to win a golden label at the time it did.

Victor Uwaifo a.k.a “Guitar Boy”

“We will always remember Sir Uwaifo for what he meant to us and what he represented. He represented the finest of Edo values, which include hard work, creativity, innovation and it is going to be very difficult for us to imagine our entertainment space, to imagine our music space in Edo State without Sir Uwaifo. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.

Also in attendance at the funeral service were the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Chief Tony Okoroji; legendary flutist, Dr. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, who performed briefly at the funeral; the widow, Princess Osaretin, children, grandchildren and in-laws of the deceased, among others.

Ademola Adejuwon