- A multi-talented star who was an ‘Elegant Stallion’ to the end
In a sense, she died the way she lived: in the spotlight. Her final act was her performance at a friend’s birthday party in Lagos, on July 30. According to an eye-witness account, she had “performed a couple of her songs ending up with her famous song, ‘One Love Keep Us Together’… Just about a few minutes after her performance, she sat down and drank some water and immediately collapsed, and was rushed to the hospital.” It was the end of her earthly journey. She was 72.
Onyeka Onwenu described herself as a journalist and an entertainer. She started her professional life as a newsreader and reporter at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Lagos. At the height of her journalism practice, in 1984, she did a striking documentary on corruption and environmental degradation in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, titled ‘Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches.’ “Journalism is an honourable profession,” she said in a published interview. “We are very important to the society because we draw attention to the real issues in the society, which is how to move this country forward.”
She had a first degree in International Relations and Communication from Wellesley College, Massachusetts, USA, and a master’s degree in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research, New York, USA.
She made a name for herself as a journalist, but was better known as a singer and songwriter. The high points of her musical career included her 1986 album, ‘One Love,’ and her collaboration with Juju maestro Sunny Ade, which produced the song ‘Madawonlohun’ (Let Them Say), as well as two other songs, ‘Choices’ and ‘Wait for Me,’ which focused on family planning and were endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria.
Interestingly, she switched from secular music to Christian/gospel music in the 1990s. Her latest work, ‘Inspiration for Change,’ advocates attitudinal change in Nigeria. La Cave Musik plans to release a collection of her works, titled ‘Rebirth of a Legend.’ She earned recognition for her contribution to music and arts in Nigeria.
She made the headlines, in 2000, following her protest over NTA’s refusal to pay royalties for her songs. The station had used ‘Iyogogo,’ a track from the ‘Onyeka!’ album, without her permission. She went on hunger strike outside the station’s premises, and stopped after six days when both parties reached an agreement.
Her appearances in many Nollywood movies further demonstrated her artistic talent. 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’; and was also nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the movie ‘Rising Moon.’ She was in the movie ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ in 2014, and ‘Lion Heart’ (2018).
It was a testimony to her development consciousness that she entered politics, and unsuccessfully contested the position of local council chairman twice in Ideato North Local Government Area (LGA), Imo State. She was from Arondizuogu in the LGA. “Get it right at that level and you would have solved more than 60 percent of the problems in this country,” she said.
A former chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture, she became executive director/chief executive officer of the National Centre for Women Development, in 2013, under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
She was a recipient of two Nigerian national honours, Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) for her contributions to the Nigerian entertainment industry, and Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), in 2011.
Known as ‘Elegant Stallion,’ an appellation she said was given to her by a Nigerian journalist, Onwenu explained, “It has to do, I think, with the way I walk and present myself.” It perhaps captured her productive and impactful life.
