Nigeria’s celebrated music icon, Onyeka Onwenu, known as the “Elegant Stallion,” has been laid to rest in a private vault in Lagos.
Among those present at the burial and church service include Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, and Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti.
The multi-talented icon had given instructions on how she should be buried in an opinion piece on Premium Times in 2021, saying: “Do it quickly, quietly and privately,” emphasising that it should be devoid of unnecessary fanfare.
She urged her loved ones to “mourn, yes but not excessively,” and to instead focus on celebrating her life with prayers and light-hearted moments.
The artiste died on July 30, 2024, at Reddington Hospital, Ikeja, after collapsing at an event honouring the Managing Director of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Dr Stella Okoli.
She was 72 years old.
The funeral service was held at the Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos, followed by a private burial at a vault in Ikoyi.
A former presidential candidate, of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and the Governor of Abia state, Alex Otti were spotted at burial held on Friday (today).
She is survived by her two sons.
Apart from her career in the arts, Onyeka Onwenu also had a career in politics. She served as chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and the Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development.
Onyeka Onwenu was born in 1952, in Obosi, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Onwenu hails from Arondizuogu in Ideato North, Imo State, but was raised in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State. She was the youngest daughter of Nigerian educationist and politician D. K. Onwenu, who died when she was four years old in an autocrash 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.
Onwenu possesses 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.
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 former member of the NTA board, she has also worked as a TV presenter, hosting the shows Contact (1988) and Who’s On? (1993) both on NTA Network.
She began her music career in the 1980s and released her debut album, “For the Love of You,” in 1981. She has since released numerous albums and singles, including the hit song “One Love.”
Onwenu has also acted in several Nollywood films and has won numerous awards for her contributions to music and film. She has been recognised as one of the pioneers of Nigerian music.
In addition to her entertainment career, Onwenu has also been involved in politics. She was appointed as the Chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture in 2013 and later became the Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development in 2016.
As an activist, in 2000, Onwenu protested against her former employer NTA over their refusal to pay royalties on her songs (NTA 2 Channel 5 had used “Iyogogo“, a track from the Onyeka! album, in station idents without asking her permission). After then-director general Ben Murray-Bruce blacklisted her from transmission, she embarked on a hunger strike outside the station’s premises.
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.
Onwenu has been recognized for her contributions to Nigerian society, including being awarded the National Honors of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2011. She has also been recognized as one of the most influential women in Nigeria by various organisations.
Written with additional reports from The PUNCH
