Kwara State Dadakuada music maestro, Alhaji Jaigbade Alao, is dead.
Jaigbade passed away in the early hours of Monday at the age of 121.
One of his children, Alhaji Abdulrasaki Jaigbade, who confirmed his death said that he did not show any sign of sickness before his death on Monday.
He said, “Baba died this morning without showing any sign of sickness. When he woke up early in the morning, he complained of a slight headache, and before we decided to take him to the hospital, he had given up the ghost.”
Abdulrasaki said that the late Jaigbade was survived by four wives and 34 children.
Jaigbade, in 1939, started his genre of Dadakuada music, which traditionally originated from Kwara.
The music maestro was honoured with an honorary doctorate degree in Arts and Culture in 2017 by the Kwara State University and was also recognised by the Kwara State Government as one of the most distinguished personalities in the state in December 2022.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has commiserated with the family of the late music legend, praying to Allah to grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus (paradise) and comfort the family.
A condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, read, “On behalf of the government and people of Kwara State, I send our condolences to the family of Alhaji Jaigbade Alao and all lovers of his inimitable Dadakuada music worldwide. Alhaji Jaigbade was a legend whose mastery of his genre of music projected the state positively.”
“He was also a community leader in his own right. His death has created a void in the chain of great mentors for younger ones who took to his genre of dadakuada music. We beseech Allah to forgive him and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.
“The Dadakuada crooner was among the statesmen that the Kwara State Government recently honoured in the maiden edition of its lifetime achievement awards dedicated to different personalities who served or contributed to the development of the state or the country at various levels/sectors.”
Also in his reaction, Kwara State University’s acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, said that the university community received the news of Jaigbade passing with sorrow.
He said the legendary musician was an exemplary bard, who used his art to entertain and promote historical and political awareness.
“Alhaji Jaiyegbade Alao had given live performances in the university and received KWASU’s award of an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contributions to music and the development of society through his songs,” Jimoh was quoted as saying in a statement by the varsity’s Director of University Relations, Saeedat Aliyu.