Christiana Uduak Essien-Igbokwe, MFR (11 November 1960 – 30 June 2011) was a Nigerian musician and actress. Called "Nigeria's Lady of Songs", she was known for her songs "Seun Rere" Tete Nula, Ife, Hear the Call and Give me a Chance. She was the first female president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), and the chairwoman and managing director of

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

Entertainment. She sang in

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

Ibibio Ibibio may refer to: *Ibibio language *Ibibio people *Ibibio Sound Machine, an English electronic afro-funk band who sing in Ibibio See also * Ibiblio ibiblio (formerly SunSITE.unc.edu and MetaLab.unc.edu) is a "collection of collections", a ...

, Efik,

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

and English. Her fluency in Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, English, and her native

gave her an appeal which crossed tribal lines.

Early life

Christy was born in Okat,

Onna Onna is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Its name comes from an acronym of the names of the four predominant clans in the area: Oniong, Nnung Ndem, Awa Afaha and Awa. Onna has a population of about 495,000 p ...

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

. Her mother died when she was 12; she then lived in

Aba, Abia Aba is a city in the southeast of Nigeria and the commercial center of Abia State. Upon the creation of Abia state in 1991, Aba was divided into two local government areas namely; Aba South and Aba North. Aba south is the main city centre an ...

with a friend of her mother, who encouraged her singing career and bought her a second-hand cassette player to record her songs.

Career

Christy began her musical career in secondary school, singing at clubs such as Unikoko in Aba. She appeared as a regular on the NTA Aba variety shows ''Now Sound'' and ''Ukaonu's Club'', and in 1976 she joined the cast of '' The New Masquerade'' as Akpenor, the wife of the cantankerous character Jegede Sokoya (Claude Eke). Her role on the popular show caught the public eye, and she released her debut album (''Freedom'') the following year. Essien's albums sold well, and most successful was 1981's ''Ever Liked My Person'' (produced by

Lemmy Jackson Otu Udofa, professionally known as Lemmy Jackson, is a Nigerian music producer who produced songs for many prominent Nigerians artists of the 1980s. He produced ''Wait for Me'' a duet by Onyeka Onwenu and King Sunny Adé, he also worked with Alex O, ...

). At the forefront of issues affecting women and children, she empowered thousands of women, she appeared in early

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

films such as ''Flesh and Blood'' (co-starring with

Richard Mofe-Damijo Richard Eyimofe Evans Mofe-Damijo (born 6 July 1961), popularly known as RMD, is a Nigerian actor, writer, producer, lawyer, and former journalist. He was also a former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State in 2009. In 2005, he wo ...

, Ameze Imarhiagbe, and Ekpeyong Bassey Inyang and Directed by

Chico Ejiro Chico Ejiro (born Chico Maziakpono; died 25 December 2020) was a Nigerian movie director, screenwriter, and producer. Little is known about Ejiro other than he was born in Isoko, Delta, Nigeria, and that he originally studied agriculture, and he ...

) and ''Scars of Womanhood'' (co-starring

Kate Henshaw Kate Henshaw, also known as Kate Henshaw-Nuttall (born 19 July 1971), is a Nigerian actress. In 2008 she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the movie ''Stronger than Pain''. Early lif ...

Sam Loco Efe Sam Loco Efe (25 December 1945 – 7 August 2011), born Sam Loco Efeeimwonkiyeke in Enugu, was a Nigerian actor, producer and director. Early life and education Efe was born in Enugu, the son of Arase Efeimwonkiyeke, a warder. His father wa ...

Justus Esiri Justus Esiri (20 November 1942 – 19 February 2013) was a veteran award-winning Nigerians, Nigerian actor, generally considered to be one of the pillars of Nollywood with an acting career that goes way back to the 1960s. He came into prominenc ...

Francis Duru Francis Duru (born July 27, 1969) is a Nigerian actor who in 2007 received the ''United Nations Ambassador of Peace award'' for his positive influence on the youths. In 2010 Duru was appointed as the interim president of the Actors Guild of Nig ...

) both of which addressed child abuse and

female circumcision Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

. Desiring to improve life for

Nigerian artists Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

, Essien is credited with initiating the first meeting which formed the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in 1981. The association was founded a year later;

King Sunny Adé Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye (born 22 September 1946), known professionally as King Sunny Adé, is a Nigerian jùjú singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is regarded as one of the first African pop musicians to gain international ...

was president,

Sonny Okosun Sonny Okosun (1 January 1947 – 24 May 2008) was a Nigerian musician, who was known as the leader of the Ozzidi band. He named his band Ozzidi after a renowned Ijaw languages, Ijaw river god, but to Okosun the meaning was "there is a message". ...

was vice-president, and Essien was treasurer. From 1996 to 1999, she was the PMAN's first female president. Essien appeared in many national and international shows and composed and performed Akwa Ibom State's informal anthem, "Akwa Ibom Mmi (My Akwa Ibom)", in 1987. Christy Essien Igbokwe released 10 Albums between the 1977 and 1992, with an 11th on the horizon before her demise, which was later released in 2013. She was active globally with her music and acting throughout her career. In her later years, She performed with her second son, Chinwuba Kenechukwu Kaka, at the January 2009 Inspire Africa benefit concert and participated in the MTN Musical Festival later that year. Chinwuba Kenechukwu Kaka is a hip-hop artist and producer and the father of her granddaughter Christiana Chizaramekpeleamaka Ijeoma. Essien-Igbokwe's album, ''Ever Liked My Person'', which had the monster hit Seun Rere was certified platinum in Nigeria. A Biography titled Uduak "The will of God" was produced and sponsored by

Exxon Mobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

in the 90s to show her life and career so far at the time. Her granddaughter remixes hit song 'Seun Rere.

Death

Essien-Igbokwe died after a brief illness on 30 June 2011 at age 50 at Ikeja General Hospital. Then

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

Governor

Babatunde Fashola Babatunde Raji Fashola ( yo, Bàbátúndé Rájí Fáṣọlá; born 28 June 1963) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician currently serving as the Federal Minister of Works and Housing of Nigeria. He served two terms as Governor of Lagos State f ...

, Onyeka Owenu, Bisi Olatilo (Veteran Broadcaster), Soni Irabor, Oritz Wiliki, Remi Tinubu,

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

Aliko Dangote ''For people with the given name, see Aliko (given name).'' Aliko ( sq-definite, Alikoi; ) is a village and a former commune in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Finiq ...

and

Victor Uwaifo Victor Efosa Uwaifo (1 March 1941 – 28 August 2021) was a Nigerian musician, writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor, university lecturer, music legend, and the first Honorable Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Nigeria. ...

amongst others paid tribute to the singer. To celebrate the remembrance of the late music icon on 30 June 2020, the granddaughter of Christy Essien Igbokwe "Christiana Chizaramekpeleamaka Ijeoma" covered “You’re Welcome” from Disney's “Moana“.

Awards and honours

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS # "Silver Prize" Winner at 6th Seoul Songs Festival, South Korea – 1983 # "Grand Prix “ Winner at Neewollah Music Festival at Independence,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, USA – 1983 # "International Special Achievement" Award of MUSEXPO, Acapulco, Mexico, 1983 # "Certificate of Merit" Award for Song writing and composing at the 10th Annual American # Songs Festival, Los Angeles, USA – 1983 # "Audience Favourite" Award of International Music Festival at Baker University, USA –1983 # "Silver Prize" Winner at Second International Music Festival of Oklahoma University, USA –1983 # "Outstanding Performance" Award at the World Song Festival, L.A. Arts Academy, USA –1984 # "Distant Accord" Award at the FIDOF Festival in Hollywood, L.A., USA, 1990 # Honorary Doctorate Degree (Honoris Causa) Award in

Business Management Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

by #

Cornerstone University Cornerstone University is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cornerstone University has undergraduate and graduate programs, two seminaries (Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and Asia Biblical Theological Seminary based in ...

& Theological Seminary, Jerusalem, Israel – 2010 # Honorary

Doctorate Degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

(Honoris Causa) Award in Literature-in-Africa the by University of # Berkley, Chicago, Illinois, USA – 2010 NATIONAL AWARDS # "Lady of Songs" by Nigerian Entertainment Writers – 1980 # "Star Performer" Award of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) – 1983 # "Best Actress Runner-Up" Award for Excellence by silver Jubilee Committee of the Nigerian Television Organization of Nigeria (NTA) – 1984 # "African Music Mother" Award by Music Extravaganza’84 in collaboration with African Music Development, New York, USA # "Adaha Onna" (Pillar of Onna LGA) # Akwa Ikwo Eket (The Greatest Singer from Eket Community) by Eket LGA Authority # Aha Nwanyi Ejiagamba 1 of Oru Ahiazu, Mbaise, Imo State # "Golden Voice of Africa" Award by music Students Association, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife # "Gold Award" of 25 Nigerian Celebrities – 1988 # "Certificate of Honour" by the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Anambra State Council – 1990 # "Certificate of Recognition" by National Film Festival – 1992 # "Service to the Music Profession" Award by PMAN the on platform of NIGERIAN MUSIC AWARD (to Christy Essien Igbokwe/Edwin Igbokwe) for their efforts in forming and creating PMAN – 1988 # Special Musical Patents Decoration Award – 1994 # "Merit Award for Excellence in the Field of Music Therapy" by Medical Association of Nigeria # "Award of Honour" by Nigeria Institute of Journalism Student's Union, Ibadan Campus # "Certificate of Honour" in recognition of her role as a woman of substance and her excellent performance in musical entertainment by the National Association of Akwa Ibom Students, University of Ibadan chapter. # "Grand Fellow of Nigerian Youths" by the Nigerian Youth Organization # "Queen of Music International" Award by the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, Lagos State, and Degbola International Promotions – 1996 # "Outstanding Achievements Uplifting Female" Award by Youth Re-Orientation Movement – 1996 # "Merit Award in Honour of Care for the Nigerian Child" by Broadway International School – 2000 # "Award of Excellence and Outstanding Leadership Qualities" as PMAN first Female President -1998 # "The Best Dressed Female Musician" Award in the Patriotic Dress category at the Nigeria Fashion Show – 1997 # "Member of the Greatest Performers" Award in recognition of her immense contribution to the development and reformation of the world youths – 1996 # "Award of Excellence" as Matron of the Great Eni-Njoku Hall (University of Lagos chapter – 2000 # "Pacesetter Award" in recognition of her vision, initiator and organizer of the First ECOWAS Cultural and Musical Festival & the Entertainment Award – 1997 # "Lover of Children" Award in recognition of her contribution towards child social and welfare development in society – by legendary Page Boys Club (Socio-Cultural & Humanitarian Club) # "Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) by Federal Government of Nigeria – 1999 # "Defender of Children" Award by Interclassic Youth Forum (a non-governmental organization) # "Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment Industry" Award by Top Celebrities Magazine – 2010 # "Merit Award for African Heritage” by The Gong African News Magazine – 2010 # "Honorary Fellowship Award" by Institute of Corporate & Business Affairs Management, Nigeria. # "Nigerian Woman of Valor" Award by National Centre for Women Development, Abuja – 2010. MATRONSHIP/EXTRA-CURRICULA POSITIONS # Matron; Eni-Njoku Hall, University of Lagos # Matron; Akwa Ibom Journalists Forum, Kaduna # Matron; National Association of Akwa Ibom Students, University of Port Harcourt # Matron; Nigerian Youth Tourist Organization # Matron; National Association of Akwa Ibom Students, University of Lagos # Matron; Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology of Nigeria, Lagos # Matron; Worldwide Twins and Multiple Foundation # Deputy Vice President/Vice Chairman, Governing Council of Institute of Corporate and Business Affairs Management, Nigeria. POSTHUMOUS AWARDS # Entertainment Icon" by West African Women in Leadership Conference (in Ghana) – 2011 # "Excellence in Outstanding Performance & Hard Work" by National Association of Akwa Ibom State Students (NAAKISS) – University of Lagos Chapter – 2011 # NOPA 2012 for outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry # Essien-Igbokwe was known as "Lady of Songs". On 11 November 2018, what would have been her 58th birthday, Google commemorated her life with a

doodle A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract lines or shapes, generally without ever lift ...

. # "Award of Excellence" by Ibom Talent Development Center 11 June 2021

Albums

* ''Freedom'' (1977) * ''Patience'' (1978) * ''Time Waits For No One'' (1978) * ''One Understanding'' (1979) * ''Give Me A Chance'' (1980) * ''Ever Liked My Person?'' (1981) * ''It's Time'' (1982) * ''Taking My Time'' (1986) * ''Hear The Call'' (1990) * ''Mysteries of Life'' (1992) * ''All of a Sudden'' (2013)

References

External links

Seun Rere on OldNaija.comChristy Essien on Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essien-Igboke, Christy 1960 births 2011 deaths Entertainers from Akwa Ibom State Nigerian women singer-songwriters Nigerian rhythm and blues musicians 20th-century Nigerian women singers English-language singers from Nigeria Yoruba-language singers 20th-century Nigerian actresses Igbo-language singers Nigerian film actresses Ibibio people 21st-century Nigerian actresses People from Akwa Ibom State Nigerian women musicians Nigerian singer-songwriters Nigerian highlife musicians Nigerian hip hop musicians Nigerian soul musicians 21st-century Nigerian women musicians Members of the Order of the Federal Republic