10 things to know about late Nigerian singer, Onyeka Onwenu

News360 Nigeria highlights in this post, 10 things to know about veteran Nigerian singer, Onyeka Onwenu.

Onyeka Onwenu was a Nigerian singer, actress, human rights and social activist, journalist, politician, and former X Factor series judge.

The veteran actress and singer reportedly died on Tuesday evening at Reddington Hospital in Lagos after collapsing at the birthday party of Mrs. Stella Okoli, the CEO of Emzor Pharmaceuticals.

She was fondly known as “The Elegant Stallion” by the Nigerian press, she served as the chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture.

Here’s what you need to know about the late Nigerian singer;

1. Fondly addressed as the ‘Elegant Stallion’, Onwenu was a native of Arondizuogu in Ideato North, Imo State, southeastern Nigeria and was born on 31st January, 1952.

2. Her father,  Mr. D.K Onwenu was a politician and educationist who died in an auto crash when she was only four years old.

3. She was educated abroad, earning degrees at Wellesley College of Massachusetts and The New School for Social Research in New York, studying International Relations and Media Studies respectively.

4. She was nicknamed the The Elegant Stallion by the media, and the alias stucked till her death.

5. She was attached to the NTA during her NYSC program. During her time there, she wrote and presented an epic documentary for NTA/BBC titled “Nigeria, A Squandering of Riches”. The documentary garnered a lot of positive reviews especially from the international community.

6. Her music career began in 1981, and her first album came out in 1982. There have been about five more albums after that.

7. The gifted actress Onyeka Onwenu actively participated in several films with prominent local performers, winning accolades like the 2006 African Movie Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

8. She was also a politician affiliated with the PDP, where she unsuccessfully ran twice for Chairman of her local government, Ideato North in Imo State.

9. The songstress was once the Chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture, appointed by former governor Ikedi Ohakim. She was also a board member of NTA.

10. In 1988, she collaborated with King Sunny Ade on the song “Mada wolohun” (Let Them Say). She and the master of juju music recorded two more songs, “Wait for Me” and “Choices,” in response to the song’s overwhelmingly positive reception and fans’ requests for more.