It was such a heartbreaking situation for Nigerians to hear about the death of veteran Nigerian singer, actress, TV presenter, activist, writer, journalist and politician, Onyeka Onwenu. Born on January 31, 1952, she was aged 72.
She is said to have died Tuesday night July 30, 2024, as she slumped at the birthday party of CEO of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Mrs Stella Okoli, held in Lagos State. While she slumped, Onyeka was rushed o the Reddington Hospital in Lagos, were she was pronounced dead.
(While performing in Lagos at a birthday party before she slumped)
The deceased hailed from Arondizuogu, same town with late Pericoma, precisely in Ideato North LGA, Imo State. But she was raised in another state, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The late iconic singer is the last Daughter out of the five children of Nigeria’s foremost politician and educationist, D.K Onwenu. Unfortunately she lost her dad in an auto crash while she was just only four (4) years old. And that was just few days his appointment as Nigeria’s Minister of Education.
In spite the wealth and status of her dad prior to his death, Onyeka Onwenu and her family had to struggle to become what they are today, because her dad’s immediate family denied Onyeka’s mother, Hope Onwenu, access to any of her late husband’s properties/assets.
Regardless of all these predicaments, Onyeka Onwenu was able to finish her educational pursuits. She has a BA in International Relations & Communication, which she acquired from Wellesley College in Massachusetts United States of America. Further, she obtained MA in Media Studies from the New York School For Social Research.
After working briefly with the United Nations, she found her way home to Nigeria, and that was in the year 1980, to Undertake the mandatory National Youth Service Corps, NYSC. She did her one year national youth service with the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, at their national station in Lagos State.
After service, she worked with NTA, as a news reader and reporter. Then in 1984, while signed under Polygram Records, she released her debut album tilted “In The Morning Light”, and the album had the hit track “Master Plan”. Then two years later, that was in 1986, she released her monstrous hit song “One Love” which became almost a national anthem, and has remained even till date.
Two years later, 1988, she had her first collaboration with Sunny Ade for the song “Medawolohun (Let them say), which was part of her 1988 album tilted “Dancing In The Sun”. She subsequently did two other songs with King Sunny Ade, which are “Wait For Me” and “Choices”.
That album “Dancing In The Sun” was dedicated to Nelson Mandela’s wife then, Winnie Mandela. And when Mandela was released from Prison and him and his wife Winnie visited Nigeria in 1990, Onyeka Onwenu performed the album for the couple during that memorable visit.
After her album in 1992, recorded under another label “Benson and Hedges Music”, she then switched from secular to gospel and christian music. She has several hit and evergreen songs like “Ekwe”, “You and I” and many others to her credit.
She later ventured into acting and had her first professional acting in Zik Zulu Okafor’s blockbuster movie tilted “Nightmare”. She has since featured in dozens of Nollywood movies, including in the adoption of Ngozi Chimamanda’s Novel “Half of A Yellow Sun” in 2014, and in Genevieve Nnaji’s movie “Lion Heart” in 2018.
While she has won several awards, nominated for several Awards as well, she won the Best Supporting Actress at the 2006 edition of the Africa Movie Academy Award, AMAA, for her role in “Widow’s Cot”. Her other movies include “Ije Awele, Obara’m, Muna, To Love An Angel, The Trinity, God Calling, Not Your Wealth, Chain Reaction, Conspiracy, Government House, and others.
For her political career, while she didn’t win any election, but she held some important political positions. She served as the Chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture under former governor of the state, Senator Ikedi Ohakim.
Then in September 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan gave her another political appointment as the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development, which was eventually terminated by former President Mohammadu Buhari following his victory during the 2015 Presidential election.
Meanwhile, in 2011, during the regime of President Goodluck Jonathan, she was decorated with a national honour of “Member of the Order of the Federal Republic MFR”.
On the other hand, she has kept most of her family affairs away from the media, including information about her estranged husband, who is a Muslim by faith and hails from the South Western part of the country. She had two children, Abraham and Tijani Charles.
(While performing in Lagos at a birthday party before she slumped)
“Elegant Stallion” as she’s fondly called, Onyeka Onwenu will forever live in my memories as her legacies will definitely remain indelible.
