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Mr. Emmanuel O. Opia |
Emmanuel Onyekuseni Opia was born into a musical family of five boys with their eldest brother ‘Professor’ S.N.D. Opia as the band leader of their family band that was very popular in the then Midwestern Nigeria. Fondly called Emman Coxy, Emmanuel Opia started playing the trumpet at the age of eight (8) and by age nine (9), his musical prowess had bloomed to the level of being well-acclaimed in his community and beyond. By age twelve (12) he was already known and addressed as a fantastic guitar player. It was these musical attributes that won him enlistment into the Nigerian Army at a young age. In the course of his service in the army, he read and passed many military certificate courses and also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Education (B. A. ED) and a postgraduate diploma in International Affairs and Diplomacy. While in the army he served as instructor and later Regimental Sergeant Major of the Nigerian army school of music (NASM) Ojo and later as O/C-Officer commanding band at the 4 Artillery Brigade of General Ike Nwanchukwu Barracks Obinze, Owerri. He retired from active military service as a Master Warrant Officer and currently teaches Trumpet and Cornet in Heats of Music Brass Band.
