By Ingram Osigwe
Onyeka Onwenu’s sudden death is a personal loss to me. She was more of an elder sister to me, a confidant and a counsellor than a kinswoman. Her death left a sour taste in my mouth and also left me crestfallen. Her departure is still like a bad dream from which I will eventually wake up. The sudden transition of Ada Arondiuzogu, Ada Igbo, the pride of the Igbo nation and the poster girl of the resilience, purpose-driven and goal oriented Nigerian women is hurtful. I feel the hurt deep in my skin. Just imagine the searing pain you will feel if a sharp knife is thrusted deep into your skin to slice off your flesh. That is the kind of pain Onyeka’s death has inflicted upon my heart and soul. What an uncertain world and life we are in! Lively, healthy, ebullient this minute and stone death the next minute! It is scary.
The elegant stallion, as Onyeka was fondly called by her teeming admirers and fans, belonged to the early class of educated Nigerian Musicians who in the early 80s took the Nigerian music scene by the storm. Her peers in that category were Oby Onyioha, Theodora Ifudu, Martha Uleto, Chris Okotie, Jide Obi and the late Nkem Okonkwo (Jake Solo) who died prematurely in a car crash. Jake Solo was our own answer to Quincy Jones and Jeff Porcaro fussed into one.
I grew up in the 80s to start hearing about Onyeka, then listening to her soulful musical renditions and finally becoming her fanatical fan, not just because she hailed from a neighbouring town, Arondiuzogu and the same LGA, Ideato North (I’m from Akokwa) but also because I was greatly enamoured by her masterly remix and rendition of Everly Brother’s Classic song, ” Walk Right Back”.
Indeed, Onyeka can be likened to Nigeria’s version of Bob Baez and Bob Dylan for she fussed our native folklore into her songs and this can be identified in such chart busters of hers as “Ekwe”, “Ochie Dike,”Iyogogo”, “Alleluya” among others.
Singlehandedly raised by her mother following her father’s death when she was just four, Onyeka never shied away from celebrating and heaping effusive praises on her mother in her songs such as “Ochie Dike Mama”. The late music maestro was an embodiment and amalgam of talents: A social activist, women advocate, musician, journalist, an actress and author. Her social activism started in the 80s with a documentary in the NTA, “Squandering The Riches”. Ironically, over 4 decades after that prophetic documentary, our national riches, our common patrimony are still being looted and squandered by mindless politicians, even at a bigger scale.
In some of her songs, Onyeka appealed for patriotism, unity and peace among the diverse people of Nigeria. For example her 1986 hit song, “One Love” was a clarion call for Nigerians, irrespective of socio- economic, political, religious and ethnic persuasion, to place love and national unity above primordial sentiments. In no time, the song became something akin to a national anthem, became a refrain on everyone’s lips, and in the process healed a badly fractured nation. “One Love” was indeed Onyeka’s answer to John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”
A woman of many parts, versatile and masterly, Onyeka would later veer into politics as a member of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP on which platform she unsuccessful tried twice to become the Chairwoman of Ideato North LGA.It was at the point of her unsuccessful foray into politics and electoral misfortune that our paths crossed. Onyeka had squarely blamed my principal for her unrealised political ambition but at a close encounter, I was able to impress it upon her that my principal couldn’t have truncated her dreams of emerging as the democratically elected Chairwoman of Ideato North LGA as he was neither the INEC Chairman, PDP chairman nor the Executive Governor of Imo state.
However, as a culture promoter and enthusiast; a woman that had given much to art and culture in Nigeria, Onyeka would later be recognized by the then Imo state Governor, Ikedi Ohakim with an appointment as the Chairperson of Imo state Council of Art and Culture. Former President Goodluck Jonathan also honoured her with an appointment as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja.
Her foray into the movie industry was equally exhilarating and impactful as she brought passion and zeal to bear on anything she was involved in. Onyeka’s passion and skilful interpretation of roles kept her TV audience spell bound and clued to their TV sets. The emotions she evoked from the 2005 family drama, “Widow’s Cot” can be likened to the emotions generated by Whoopi Goldberg’s role in the 1985 film, “The Colour Purple” directed by Stephen Spielberg. Onyeka made every role hers, keeping her audience yearning for more with her raw interpretations that evoked real life emotions.
My relationship with Onyeka waxed stronger as that of an elder sister and a younger brother in the course of my career as a marketing communication practitioner, brand promoter and advertising executive. I would invite her to corporate events I was handling and she would always honour me with her presence, often offering valuable and priceless advice and opinions on ways of improvement.
I was enthralled and delighted when in 2020 she released her gripping memoir, “My Father’s Daughter”, an emotional story of her life trajectory through girlhood, the civil war, education, music career and motherhood. Upon the release of the book, I enthusiastically bought many copies which I gave out as birthday gifts to friends and young people as a way of combating the erosion of reading culture among many people today, especially young people. She gladly autographed a copy for me on a historical date (02-02-22). I also encouraged some rich Igbo businessmen, corporate gurus and professionals to buy the book and donate to schools and community libraries in their various communities and I’m glad many did.
Onyeka and I spoke a few months ago about a big project she was embarking on and we were scheduled to meet in a few weeks’ time to further discuss about the project but alas! This was never to be as death came knocking.
Onyeka was a pan- Nigerian, urbane, cerebral and detribalised. Though she never brought her marital life to the public domain until about two years ago, not many knew that, though an Igbo daughter, she was married to a Yoruba Muslim man with whom she had two sons – Abraham and Tijani.
In the late 80s, in a rare hybrid cultural and musical outing, she did a duet with Nigeria’s Afro-juju music icon, Sunny Ade to release the classy song, “Wait For Me”
In retrospect, I can never forget her modest one-story building sitting atop the iconic triangle junction at Obinaetiti, Arondiuzogu. That building was a remarkable landmark that was etched in my memory which back then reminded me of the iconic owner each time I journeyed to and from Abia state University, Uturu where I was an undergraduate in the 80s till early 90s.
Indeed, Onyeka was a national icon and it’s my candid opinion that the Federal and Imo state governments should do all they can to keep alive her memory and legacy. Immortalizing Onyeka by the way of naming a monument after her will not be a bad idea.
Onyeka’s memory is our keepsake with which we will never part. God has her in His keeping while we have her in our hearts.
Good night, Ada mazi. Ka chi fo.
– Ingram Osigwe resides in Lagos