OFEGE

Ofege was a Nigerian teenage band that emerged in the early 1970s, born out of the corridors of St. Gregory’s College, Lagos. The group was made up of gifted secondary school students, led by Melvin Ukachi as the frontman. Others in the original lineup included Paul Alade, Solomon Oyakhilome, Tolu Akinwande, and Dapo Olumide. Their sound was heavily influenced by the psychedelic rock and funk wave sweeping the world at the time—especially Western bands like Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles—but they blended this with the raw energy of Afrobeat and Nigerian highlife.

Their debut album Try and Love, released in 1973 under EMI Nigeria, became an instant underground classic. Songs like “Whizzy Ilabo” and “It’s Not Easy” reflected their youthful boldness and experimental sound. The band members were still teenagers, yet they were creating music with technical sophistication and emotional depth far beyond their age.

Ofege released several more albums, including The Last of the Origins, Higher Plane Breeze, and Ofege in Concert. As the members matured, many moved on to pursue academic and professional careers, and the group gradually disbanded. However, their early records, once obscure, were rediscovered decades later by vinyl collectors and global funk enthusiasts, earning the band a cult following across Europe, Asia, and America.

Ofege’s legacy is remarkable—not just for their music, but for showing that Nigerian youth could innovate within global genres while still sounding rooted in their identity. They remain one of the most exciting and mysterious acts from Nigeria’s 1970s rock era.