At the onset of the civil war, Okosun and his family who were from the Mid-West and not from Eastern Nigeria had to flee the region and move to Lagos. In Lagos, he worked as a stagehand for a television station and jammed with a number of groups. In 1969, he found steady work as a second guitarist in Victor Uwaifo's Maestros. Uwaifo still riding on his hit, "Joromi", took his band to a tour in Japan and Europe. While, he was with Uwaifo, he honed his skills in musical composition by experimenting with a fusion of African and rock rhythms.