Mike Okri: The Urhobo Man Who Ruled Nigeria’s Music Scene in 1988

Mike Okri, a renowned artist of international acclaim broke into the music scene in the 1988 and 90s with his hits like ‘Rhumba Dance’, ‘Time Na Money’, ‘Okpeke’, ‘Wisdom’, ‘Oghenekevwe’, ‘Burnin’ and many others. He is the man who popularised the Yoruba word, omogé, which he sang about.
He later relocated to the United States of America and recently returned to oversee some projects.
Concerning his relocation, he said in an interview: “I can only say that I just left because I was tired of how we do things. And frankly, I figured there was greener pasture out there. Another thing was that I was very concerned about losing ground in my kind of music. The idea that I had an idea (about the direction my music should go)and it was not possible for me to showcase it further than I had done was the reason I had to leave.”