The sonorous songstress Onyeka Onwenu is 70, and the world is celebrating her, but my duty
here is to add the human angle to the story of the goddess.
Onyeka Onwenu, inimitable singer, ace broadcaster and classy actress takes no prisoners in all
her undertakings.
Back in 1986, in the early days of the defunct THISWEEK magazine, Onyeka was billed to
feature in the colourful “People” page of the trailblazing weekly that was then printed in London
on Sunday and sold on the Lagos newsstands every Monday.
The young lady journalist chosen to interview Onyeka was educated in the United States just like
the celebrated musician.
It was a case of things flowing smoothly in all dimensions as the camera-ready magazine was
sent to London and landed in Lagos in arresting resplendence.
Onyeka was indeed a beauty to behold once the magazine hit the newsstands because her bold
smile was like a charge of electricity on the page.
Now this: Onyeka Onwenu stormed the 113 Ogunlana Drive, Surulere office of the magazine in
shorts, and the anger on her face could have been visible to even Stevie Wonder!
The question that shot out of Onyeka’s mouth was straight to the point: “Where is that young
lady who interviewed me?”
As the street homeys would say: “Alarm don blow!” There was panic in the air, and there was no
escaping the clear and present need to put the young interviewer out of harm’s way before
undertaking the task of pacifying Onyeka.
What could have gotten Onyeka so annoyed?
Let’s get to grips with the background of the matter so that there would be “one love” at the end
of the story.
The lady who interviewed Onyeka was a class act, and not your run-of-the-mill junk journalist.
She was the well-schooled daughter of the best friend and classmate of Chinua Achebe in
Government College, Umuahia, and University College, Ibadan.
To give the journalist her due, she faithfully reported all that Onyeka had told her without adding
any ingredients whatsoever.
I need to report here that there were too many mad characters in the THISWEEK newsroom who
refused to be gentlemanly like me.
One of these characters of the newsroom was a guy who attended the elitist Kings College,
Lagos only to end up living with Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in Kalakuta Republic!
This Kings College alumnus who doubled as Fela’s buddy knew everything in Lagos because he
was like James Hadley Chase’s Al Barney who had “An Ear to the Ground”.
It was the guy who revealed to us that Onyeka Onwenu was married and had a husband whom
she did not want to reveal to the public.
The story got even sweeter with the information that the sweet Igbo Christian lady Onyeka
Onwenu was married to a Yoruba man and a Muslim to boot!
Call it the mother of all scoops, there was a compelling urge to add the hidden Onyeka husband
matter to the story.
It had to be eventually decided to put in just the name of Onyeka Onwenu’s husband without
adding the ethnic politics in Nigeria issue since we were not Professor Okwudiba Nnoli.
Onyeka Onwenu ranks quite high as a leading liberated Nigerian woman who would not be
bordered with parading as a Mrs. Somebody.
In the manner of committed feminists she dared to carry on and win laurels based on her
capabilities without advertising the appendage of a man.
The fact that THISWEEK magazine ventured into terrains where angels feared to tread by
revealing not just Onyeka’s status but the name of her husband was akin to touching the tiger by
the tail.
The songstress who another mad reporter in the magazine had nicknamed “The Elegant Stallion”
was geared up for an epic battle.
The arrival of Onyeka Onwenu in the magazine premises had to be tackled with immediate
strategic actions such as hiding the supposedly offending young journalist and getting the singer
to cool her temper somewhat.
The best plan of action that manifested was to lead Onyeka Onwenu into the office of the editor
of the magazine, the ever charismatic Sonala Olumhense.
Trust Sonala to work magic in short seconds because when one re-entered the editor’s office
after a while it was a smiling Onyeka Onwenu that was on parade.
The photo-journalists had to be summoned to take promotional pictures of Onyeka Onwenu
posing with copies of the magazine, stickers and sundry mementoes.
She sashayed as only she could and the entire staff of the magazine got carried away with the
sensational ways of the personable superstar.
No mention was ever made again of the hurt that was inflicted on her through the reportage of
the magazine.
This recall here is my little way of celebrating my big sister Onyeka Onwenu, the lionized
daughter of “Ochie Dike Nnem” who has just crossed the Biblical “three score and ten.”
