Onyeka Onwenu

Onyeka Onwenu (31 January 1952 – 30 July 2024) was a Nigerian singer-songwriter, actress, human rights and social activist, journalist, politician, and X Factor series judge. Dubbed the "Elegant Stallion" due to her significant impact on African culture and entertainment, Onwenu was a chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture. In 2013, she was appointed the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.

Early life Onwenu was born of IGBO parents on 31 January 1952. She hailed from Arondizuogu, a big town in Ideato North, Imo State, southeastern Nigeria, but was born and raised in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State, Nigeria. She was the youngest daughter of Nigerian educationist and politician D. K. Onwenu, who died when she was four years old in a traffic collision a week before his appointment as Minister for Education, leaving his widow, Hope, to raise five children alone after her husband's family denied her access to his property. She was the youngest daughter of her parents.

Education Onwenu possessed a BA in International Relations and Communication from Wellesley College, Massachusetts, and an MA in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research, New York. She worked for the United Nations as a tour guide before returning to Nigeria in 1980 to complete her mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), in Lagos, Nigeria.

Career

Broadcasting As an NTA employee, Onwenu made an impact as a newsreader and reporter. In 1984, she wrote and presented the internationally acclaimed BBC/NTA documentary Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches which became the definitive film about corruption in Nigeria, as well as the intractable Niger Delta agitation for resource control and campaign against environmental degradation in the oil rich region of Nigeria. A member of the NTA board, she also worked as a TV presenter, hosting the shows Contact (1988)

Onwenu's first album with Polygram, In The Morning Light, was released in 1984. Recorded in London, it featured the track "Masterplan" written by close friend Tyna Onwudiwe who had previously contributed to Onwenu's BBC documentary and subsequently sang back-up vocals on the album. In 1986, she released One Love which contained an updated version of the song "(In the) Morning Light from the previous album. Dancing In The Sun, Onwenu's final release on Polygram, was dedicated to Winnie Mandela, the subject of a song of the same name which Onwenu performed live when Nelson Mandela and his wife visited Nigeria in 1990 following his release from prison.

Onwenu diverted to Benson and Hedges Music in 1992 and released the self-titled Onyeka!, her only album with the label, after which she made the transition to Christian/gospel music. Her latest collection, "Inspiration for Change," focused on the need for an attitudinal change in Nigeria.

In 2013, Onwenu served as one of the three judges on X Factor Nigeria.

Acting Onwenu's first movie role was as Joke, a childless woman who adopts an abandoned baby in Zik Zulu Okafor's Nightmare. She later featured in numerous Nollywood movies, and in 2006 she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in the movie Widow's Cot. She was also nominated that same year for Africa Movie Academy Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" in the movie Rising Moon. She appeared in the 2013 movie Half of a Yellow Sun with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandiwe Newton, and Lion Heart. Filmography List of movies

Politics Onwenu was a member of the People's Democratic Party. She contested twice to become the Local Council Chairman of her Local Government, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State and lost at both attempts,

Onwenu's activism attracted widespread support from various artists, including Charly Boy, who lambasted Nigeria's reluctance to pay royalties when songs are broadcast on television and radio. NTA resolved to settle the issue amicably but denied barring Onwenu from appearing on their channels. The protest was called off after six days when Onwenu and NTA came to an arrangement regarding royalties.

Personal life She fell in love for the first time at age 13 in 1965. Onwenu notably kept her personal life private and often refused to disclose private information regarding her ex-husband, a Yoruba Muslim. She was the mother of two children: Tijani Charles and Abraham.

Death On 30 July 2024, Onwenu passed out after performing at the 80th birthday party of The CEO Emzor Pharmaceuticals Stella Okoli in Lagos State. She was immediately taken to Reddington Hospital where she was confirmed dead. Onwenu was 72. Prior to her death, Onwenu wrote in an opinion piece on Premium Times in 2021 on how she would like to be buried: “Do it quickly, quietly and privately,” emphasising that her burial should be devoid of unnecessary fanfare. "Celebrate me with prayers, lunch or dinner afterwards. Share some jokes about me and laugh. Make merriment and then go about your business. If my friends want to celebrate me, they should do so while I am alive, so that I can enjoy it with them, not when I am gone and have no idea about this. That is me Onyeka Onwenu," she said.

A Nigerian reporter had earlier referred to her as the "Elegant Stallion" in the Nigerian media. She was noted "for her contribution to music and arts in Nigeria", While the President also opined that her legacy "lives on in her immortal masterpieces".

She was said to have been "marked by a remarkable versatility", to have left an "indelible mark on Nollywood" and to have made an "impact on Nigerian culture". As Onwenu's "legacy in Nigeria's cultural and political landscape remains profound and enduring".

Onwenu was a philanthropist. In the wake of her death, she was also noted for her contribution to humanitarian causes, "often donating to organisations focused on education, healthcare, and women's empowerment".

Onwenu was a deeply pious woman, who was described by another Nigerian reporter as "the sweet Igbo Christian lady". On the religious front, she was also recognized for her exemplary adherence to the Christian lifestyle. She was widely commended for her "outstanding intellect, eloquence, and oration", with a eulogy describing "Onwenu's exit as the end of an era".