Who is Oyenka Owenu?

Onyeka Onwenu is a veteran Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress, human rights activist, social activist, journalist, and politician. Onwenu who was a former Judge of the X factor series, the former chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development was dubbed the “Elegant Stallion” by the press.

Onwenu hails from Arondizuogu, a small town in Ideato North, Imo State, and was 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 auto-crash a week before his appointment as Minister for Education.

Onwenu possesses 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 service with the NTA.

In 1984, Onwenu 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.

As an employee of the NTA, she worked as a TV presenter, hosting the shows Contact (1988) and Who’s On? (1993), she was also a former member of the board on the NTA.

Onwenu started her musical career as a secular artist and transitioned into gospel music in the 90s, 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’s “Hold Me Tight”, and her second album Endless Life was produced by Sonny Okosun. Both records were released on the EMI label

In 1984, she released her first album with Polygram, titled In The Morning Light,  In 1986’s she released her fourth album titled 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 her fifth album titled Dancing In The Sun in 1988.

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 titled, “Inspiration for Change,” focused on the need for an attitudinal change in Nigeria.

Onyeka Onwenu is a member of the People’s Democratic Party. She has contested twice to become the Local Council Chairman of her local government, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, and lost at both attempts. but was appointed Chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture by former governor Ikedi Ohakim. On 16 September 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed her the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.