Nigerian ace musician, Onyeka Onwenu, is dead.
The Elegant Stallion, as she was popularly called, was 72 years old.
She is survived by two sons, Tijani Ogunlende and Abrahim Ogunlende.
Onyeka reportedly slumped Tuesday evening after performing at the birthday party of Mrs. Stella Okoli, the Managing Director of Emzor, the indigenous pharmaceutical giant.
When rushed to the Reddington Hospital, Lagos, she was confirmed dead.
Born 31st January 1952, the late singer turned politician and rights activist, hailed from Obosi, Anambra State.
She was dubbed “The Elegant Stallion” by the Nigerian Press.
In 2013, she was appointed the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.
Onwenu possessed 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 the NTA Network.
Originally a secular artist, Onwenu made the transition to gospel music in the 90s, and most of her songs were self-penned.
She began her recording career in 1981 while still with the NTA, releasing the album For the “Love of You,” a pop album which featured an orchestral cover of Johnny Nash’s “Hold Me Tight”, produced by Berkley Jones.
Her second album was “Endless Life,” produced by Sonny Okosuns, and included another cover – the Everley Brothers’ “Walk Right Back”.
