{"id":41342,"date":"2024-07-31T11:56:57","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T11:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=41342"},"modified":"2024-07-31T11:56:57","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T11:56:57","slug":"onyeka-onwenu-10-fascinating-facts-about-the-late-elegant-stallion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2024\/07\/31\/onyeka-onwenu-10-fascinating-facts-about-the-late-elegant-stallion\/","title":{"rendered":"Onyeka Onwenu: 10 Fascinating Facts About the Late ‘Elegant Stallion’"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cynthia Abbah<\/p>\n

Veteran Nigerian singer, broadcaster, and actress Onyeka Onwenu, affectionately known as the \u2018Elegant Stallion,\u2019 tragically passed away on Tuesday. The esteemed icon collapsed after delivering a performance at the birthday celebration of Stella Okoli, the owner of Emzor Pharmaceuticals. She was subsequently confirmed dead at a hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos. The official cause of her death has not yet been disclosed.<\/p>\n

Onyeka Onwenu\u2019s passing marks the end of an era for Nigerian entertainment and public service. Here are ten key aspects of her remarkable life and career:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Early Life and Background<\/strong>: Onyeka Onwenu was born on January 31, 1952, in Obosi, Anambra State. She emerged as a towering figure in Nigeria\u2019s entertainment, political, and social spheres, known for her multifaceted contributions.<\/li>\n
  2. Diverse Career<\/strong>: Onwenu\u2019s career was a tapestry of talent and influence. She was not only a renowned singer-songwriter and actress but also a respected broadcaster, politician, human rights advocate, and former judge on X Factor Nigeria.<\/li>\n
  3. Broadcasting Prowess<\/strong>: Her broadcasting career took off in 1980 with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). Notably, in 1984, she produced and presented the BBC\/NTA documentary \u201cNigeria: A Squandering of Riches.\u201d She also hosted influential programs such as Contact (1988) and Who\u2019s On? (1993) on NTA Network.<\/li>\n
  4. Academic Excellence<\/strong>: Onwenu pursued higher education with distinction, earning 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.<\/li>\n
  5. Musical Legacy<\/strong>: Her musical journey began in 1981 with the release of her debut album, For the Love of You<\/em>. Over the years, she released several acclaimed albums, including Endless Love<\/em>, In The Morning Light<\/em> (1984), Dancing In The Sun<\/em> (1988), and Onyeka!<\/em> (1992). She later transitioned to gospel music and gained further recognition as a judge on X Factor Nigeria in 2013.<\/li>\n
  6. Acting Achievements<\/strong>: Onwenu ventured into acting with Zik Zulu Okafor\u2019s Nightmare<\/em> (1999) and won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Widow\u2019s Cot<\/em> (2006). Her acting credits also include Half of a Yellow Sun<\/em> (2014) and Netflix\u2019s Lion Heart<\/em> (2018), among other Nollywood films.<\/li>\n
  7. Political Engagement<\/strong>: Onwenu served as Chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture under former governor Ikedi Ohakim. In 2013, she was appointed Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development. She also ran for Chairman of Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State twice but did not succeed.<\/li>\n
  8. Awards and Honors<\/strong>: In recognition of her significant contributions to Nigerian society, Onwenu was awarded the National Honors of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2011.<\/li>\n
  9. Personal Life<\/strong>: Onwenu, a mother of two, was known for keeping her personal life private. She was previously married to a Yoruba Muslim, though details about her former spouse remain limited.<\/li>\n
  10. Enduring Legacy<\/strong>: Onyeka Onwenu, who passed away at the age of 72, leaves behind a profound legacy in Nigerian entertainment, broadcasting, and public service. Her impact on Nigerian culture and society will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Cynthia Abbah Veteran Nigerian singer, broadcaster, and actress Onyeka Onwenu, affectionately known as the \u2018Elegant Stallion,\u2019 tragically passed away on Tuesday. The esteemed icon collapsed after delivering a performance at the birthday celebration of Stella Okoli, the owner of Emzor Pharmaceuticals. She was subsequently confirmed dead at a hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-41342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41342"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41344,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41342\/revisions\/41344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}