Onyeka Onwenu (born 31 January 1952) is a

Nigerian 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 ...

singer/songwriter, actress, human right activist, social activist, journalist, politician, and former ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' series judge. Dubbed the "Elegant Stallion" by the Nigerian press, she is a former chairperson of the

Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...

Council for Arts and Culture. In 2013 she was appointed the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the

National Centre for Women Development The National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) is a Nigerian state-owned enterprise based in Abuja. It was established in 1997. History The NWCD was commissioned on 17 October 1997, and modelled on the United Nations International Research and T ...

Early life

Onwenu hails from Arondizuogu, a small town in Ideato North,

, but was born and raised in Port Harcourt. She is 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.

Education

Onwenu possesses a BA in

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

and

Communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and an MA in

Media Studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...

from

The New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. She worked for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

as a tour guide before returning to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in 1980 to complete her mandatory one-year

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

with the NTA.

Career

Broadcasting

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 Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

in Nigeria as well as the intractable

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitical ...

agitation for resource control and campaign against environmental degradation in the oil rich region of Nigeria. A former member of the board of the NTA, she has also worked as a

TV presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

, hosting the shows ''Contact'' (1988) and ''Who's On?'' (1993) both on NTA Network. She won some awards like: African Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a supporting role.

Music

Originally a secular artist, Onwenu made the transition to gospel music in the 90s, and most of her songs are self-penned. She continues to write and sing about issues such as health (HIV/AIDS), peace and mutual coexistence, respect for women rights, and the plight of children. She began her music career in 1981 while still working with the NTA, releasing the album ''For the Love of You'', a pop album which featured an orchestral cover of

Johnny Nash John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940October 6, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit " I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists ...

's "Hold Me Tight", and her second

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

''Endless Life'' was produced by

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". ...

. Both records were released on the

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

label. Onwenu's first album with

Polygram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

, ''In The Morning Light'', was released in 1984. Recorded in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, it featured the track "Masterplan" written by close friend Tyna Onwudiwe who had previously contributed to Onwenu's BBC documentary and subsequently sang back-up vocals on the album. After her fourth release, 1986's ''One Love'' which contained an updated version of the song "(In the) Morning Light, Onwenu collaborated with veteran ''jùjú'' artist Sunny Ade on the track "''Madawolohun'' (Let Them Say)" which appeared in 1988's ''Dancing In The Sun''. This was the first of three songs the pair worked on together; the other two - "Choices" and "Wait For Me" - centred on

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marita ...

, and were endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria who used "Choices" in their PSA. Onwenu's final release on Polygram was dedicated to

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She se ...

, the subject of a song of the same name which Onwenu performed live when

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

and his wife visited Nigeria in 1990 following his release from prison. Onwenu diverted to Benson and Hedges Music in 1992 and released the self-titled ''Onyeka!'', her only album with the label, after which she made the transition to Christian/gospel music. Her latest collection, "Inspiration for Change," focused on the need for an attitudinal change in Nigeria. She is in partnership with Paris-based ''La Cave Musik'', headed by a

cultural entrepreneur,

Onyeka Nwelue Onyeka Nwelue (born 31 January 1988) is a Nigerian filmmaker, publisher, talk-show host, author, Visiting scholar, academic visitor and founder of the James Currey Society, at the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford and a Visiting Sch ...

and a UK-based Jungle Entertainment Ventures, headed by musicologist David Evans-Uhegbu. ''La Cave Musik'' is set to release her collection titled "''Rebirth of a Legend''". In recognition of her contribution to music and arts in Nigeria, she has been celebrated by professionals like

Mahmood Ali-Balogun Mahmood Ali-Balogun is a Nigerian filmmaker, cultural worker and the managing director of Brickwall Communications Limited. He directed the multiple award-winning film ' Tango With Me'. He is the Chairman of the Audio Visual Rights Society (AVRS ...

, Laolu Akins, Charles O'Tudor, and former

PMAN Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (also known as Performing Musicians Employers' Association Of Nigeria and abbreviated as PMAN) is an organisation founded by Christy Essien-Igbokwe and Sunny Okosun in 1984 to guide, protect and promote th ...

president

Tony Okoroji Tony Okoroji is a Nigerian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, author and intellectual property activist. He was elected President of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in 1989 and later became the Chairman of Copyright ...

among others in the arts industry in Nigeria. In 2013, Onwenu served as one of the three judges on '' X Factor Nigeria''.

Politics

Onyeka Onwenu is a member of the

People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) *People's Democratic Party (Chile) * People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

. She has contested twice to become the Local Council Chairman of her local government, Ideato North Local Government Area of

, and lost at both attempts. but was appointed Chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture by former governor

Ikedi Ohakim Ikedi Ohakim (born 4 August 1957) is a Nigerian businessman who became governor of Imo State in the South Eastern region in May 2007, standing for the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). He later switched to the People's Democratic Party (PDP). ...

. On 16 September 2013, President

Goodluck 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 ...

appointed her the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.

Activism

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), and after then-director general

Ben Murray-Bruce Benedict Murray-Bruce (born 18 February 1956) is a Nigerian business magnate and politician. He is the founder of Silverbird Group. A member of the People's Democratic Party, he was elected to the Senate of Nigeria in March 2015 where he rep ...

blacklisted her from transmission, she embarked on a hunger strike outside the station's premises. When questioned, Onwenu stated: "We find that the entertainment industry is suffering. Many artists have no pension, they're dying of hunger. These are people who are renowned, people who have made great contributions to the growth of the industry in Nigeria and we feel that this has got to come to an end." Onwenu's activism attracted widespread support from various artists, including

Charly Boy Charly Boy, born Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, 19 June 1950 (also known as CB, His Royal Punkness, and Area Fada), is a Nigerian singer/songwriter, television presenter, actor, publisher, and producer. One of Nigeria's most controversial entertai ...

, 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.

Acting

Onwenu's first movie role was as Joke, a childless woman who adopts an abandoned baby in Zik Zulu Okafor's ''Nightmare''. She has since featured in numerous

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 ...

movies, and in 2006 she won the

African Movie Academy Award The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

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 ''Half of a Yellow Sun'' is a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Published in 2006 by 4th Estate in London, the novel tells the story of the Biafran War through the perspective of the characters Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard. It rec ...

'' with

Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy A ...

and

Thandiwe Newton Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton, is a British actress. Newton has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for ...

, and '' Lion Heart'' (2018).

Personal life

Onwenu notably keeps her personal life private, and often refused to disclose private information regarding her ex-husband, a

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 ...

Muslim. She is the mother of two children - Tijani Charles and Abraham.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Onwenu, Onyeka Living people 1961 births 20th-century Nigerian actresses 20th-century Nigerian women singers 21st-century Nigerian actresses 21st-century Nigerian politicians 21st-century Nigerian women politicians Actresses from Imo State Best Supporting Actress Africa Movie Academy Award winners Feminist musicians HIV/AIDS activists Igbo actresses Igbo-language singers Imo State politicians Musicians from Anambra State Nigerian actor-politicians Nigerian women pop singers Nigerian women singer-songwriters Nigerian film actresses Nigerian rhythm and blues singers Nigerian television journalists Nigerian television personalities Nigerian women journalists Wellesley College alumni Women television journalists Nigerian human rights activists Nigerian politicians The New School alumni