Things You Didn’t Know About Legendary Late Singer Onyeka Onwenu

Legendary musician Onyeka Onwenu passed away on Tuesday, July 30, in Lagos.

She reportedly collapsed after performing at the 80th birthday celebration of Stella Okolie, CEO of Emzor Pharmaceuticals.

Read Also: BREAKING: Onyeka Onwenu Is Dead

Here are 17 things to know about Onyeka Onwenu:

1. Born on January 31, 1952, to Nigerian educationist and politician D. K. Onwenu.
2. Her father died in a car accident when she was just four years old, a week before his appointment as Minister for Education.
3. Onwenu held 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.
4. She worked for the United Nations as a tour guide before returning to Nigeria in 1980 to complete her mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Lagos.
5. At NTA, she produced the internationally acclaimed BBC/NTA documentary “Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches” in 1984.
6. Onwenu began her recording career in 1981 while still with NTA, releasing the album For the Love of You.
7. Originally a secular artist, she transitioned to gospel music in the 1990s and wrote most of her own songs.
8. Her acting debut was in Zik Zulu Okafor’s Nightmare, where she played Joke, a childless woman who adopts an abandoned baby.
9. Onwenu featured in numerous Nollywood films and won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2006 for her performance in Widow’s Cot.
10. Her recent screen appearances include Half of a Yellow Sun (2014) with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandiwe Newton, and Lion Heart (2018).
11. Onwenu was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
12. She contested twice for Chairperson of Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State but did not succeed.
13. She was appointed Chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture by former governor Ikedi Ohakim.
14. On September 16, 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed her as the Executive Director/CEO of the National Centre for Women Development.
15. Onwenu kept her personal life private, rarely disclosing details about her ex-husband.
16. She is survived by her two children, Tijani Charles and Abraham.
17. She passed away on July 30, 2024.