Onyeka Onwenu,the “Iyogogo” and “Ekwe” crooner clocked the big 70 few weeks ago.
Onyeka Onwenu actively competed with her male counterparts, the likes of Sonny Okosun and King Sunny Ade in the male dominated 1980s Nigerian music industry and was still able to hit numerous achievements and giant strides in the music field.
It is no gainsaying that Onyeka Onwenu is indeed a legend. In this article we will be looking at her journey as a journalist, award-winning actor, politician, author and an activist.
Without further ado, let us get right into it.
Onyeka Onwenu -Early Life And Family
Onyeka Onwenu was raised in Port Harcourt. She is the youngest daughter of Nigerian educationist and politician D. K Onwenu. Onyeka Onwenu is a Singer/Songwriter, Actress, Journalist, Activist and Public Administrator.
Onyeka Onwenu hails from Arondizuogu, a small town in Ideato North, Imo state. She was born on the 31st of January 1952. The tragic death of her father in an auto crash shortly before his appointment as the minister of education, left her mother with the huge responsibility of raising five children alone.
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Onyeka Onwenu -academics
Onyeka Onwenu studied International Relations and Communication from Wellesley College, Massachusetts. She pursued her studies further by bagging a Master’s degree in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research, New York. She worked briefly as a tour guide with UN(United Nations) before returning to Nigeria in 1980 to complete her mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) at Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).
Onyeka Onwenu -Journalism
While at Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Onyeka Onwenu became an outstanding employee. A newsreader and reporter with a difference, she wrote and presented the international documentaries. In no time, she became a member on the board of the NTA, she has also worked as a TV presenter. Onyeka Onwenu hosted several shows between 1988 and 1993 on the NTA Network.
Onyeka Onwenu -Music life
Onyeka Onwenu started music as a secular artist, She began her music career in 1981 while still working with the NTA. She sang about issues such as health (HIV/AIDS), peace and mutual coexistence, respect for women rights and the plight of children. She did pretty well in the music industry considering the fact that it was male dominated at the time because she soon became a strong competitor to her male counterparts.
Onyeka Onwenu took Nigerian traditional music to a different level entirely as she embraced the use of traditional musical instruments especially the use of “Ekwe” which helped in projecting her roots which is the eastern music culture.
She is a proud Igbo woman and loves to say that whenever she gets the oppurtunity. Onyeka Onwenu believes that culture evolves, culture is what makes people and makes them survive, in essence culture keeps people going. Onyeka Onwenu is an advocate of culture preservation.
Onyeka Onwenu released the album For the Love of You, a pop album and her second album Endless Life was produced by Sonny Okosun under the EMI label after which she proceeded to Polygram record label. She did several works under Polygram and a couple of the songs gained international recognition. “Choices” and “Wait For Me” – centred on family planning, and were endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria.
Onyeka Onwenu had the honour of performing her final release on Polygram live when Nelson Mandela and his wife visited Nigeria in 1990 following his release from prison. The song had been initially dedicated to Winnie Mandela. After sometime Onwenu switched to gospel music. In 2013, Onwenu served as one of the three judges on X Factor Nigeria.
Onyeka Onwenu also had a few appearance on MTN project fame West Africa. She was one of the judges when her song “Ekwe” was performed by Chidinma Ekile.
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Onyeka Onwenu-Politics
Apart from Journalism that Onyeka Onwenu started her career with, she wore several other hats one of which is politics. She is a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). She has contested twice to become the Local Council Chairman of her local government, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, but did not win the polls.
In 2010, Onyeka Onwenu composed a song titled “Run Goodluck Run” showing her endorsement for former president Goodluck Jonathan to run in the 2010 Presidential Elections. Onyeka Onwenu was of the opinion that if we are to succeed as a Nation, there would have to be a major attitudinal change for both the leadership and the followership.
She was later appointed as the Chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture by former governor Ikedi Ohakim. On the 16th of September 2013, She was appointed as the Executive Director of the National Centre for Women Development during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Onyeka Onwenu-Acting
Onyeka Onwenu has starred in several nollywood movies. Her first appearance was in Zik Zulu Okafor’s movie “Nightmare”. She took the role Joke, a childless woman who adopts an abandoned baby. She has since featured in numerous Nollywood movies. In 2006 Onyeka Onwenu won the African 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 African Movie Academy Award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” in the movie “Rising Moon” In 2014. She was in the movie Half of a Yellow Sun with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandiwe Newton, God Calling and Lion Heart in 2018.
Onyeka Onwenu- Activism
Onyeka Onwenu is also an activist. She has been seen several times advocating social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society. In 2018, Onyeka Onwenu joined the protest to help free kidnapped school girl Leah Sharibu, who was held behind by terror group Boko Haram for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
Leah Sharibu who was 15 at the time was kidnapped alongside more than 100 schoolgirls in February 2018, Boko Haram freed the other schoolgirls after government negotiations, but Sharibu was kept behind. The campaign went on for years with the hash tag #FreeLeahSharibu.
On the 16th of February 2022, the founder of the #FreeLeahSharibu movement, Reno Omokri, released a charity single, titled Angels on Guard: A Song for Leah, to mark the fourth anniversary of the abduction of Leah Sharibu by Boko Haram/ISWAP from Government Girls Science and Technical College, on February 19, 2018.
The song was written by renowned broadcaster and actress, Onyeka Onwenu, also featuring foremost gospel music star, Panam Percy Paul and Reno Omokri. More importantly, it features Nathan Sharibu, Leah Sharibu’s father.
Onyeka Onwenu also demonstrated her activism when she fought and followed up her case with Iroking Limited, for the continuous infringement of her Intellectual Property. Iroking was said to have sold and distributed her songs without her consent.
Onyeka Onwenu won the case and was paid damages as announced on her instagram handle. She noted that the judgment is not just victory for Lady Onyeka Onwenu but for all Songwriters, Producers, and all Intellectual Property owners in general.
Onyeka Onwenu- Personal life
Onyeka Onwenu is a force to be reckoned with in the history of African music. She is a woman of many parts who is known for displaying style, beauty, class, and elegance. Her strong personality has earned her the name “The Elegant Stallion”. Despite been a public figure Onwenu is known to live a very private personal life. Not so much is known about her husband. She is the mother of two children -Tijani Charles and Abraham.
However, after her 70th birthday, she spoke briefly about leaving her marriage in an interview with Chude Jideonwo. She talked about the marriage starting on a really beautiful note but later became emotionally abusive. She took full responsibility of taking care of the children from birth till they completed their masters. She had to leave because it was unhealthy for her children to see her shoulder all the burden and she was also getting depressed at the time.
Onyeka Onwenu wrote details about her marriage in her book “My Father’s Daughter” which she launched virtually on Thursday, 1st October, 2020.