- Watch video of Onyeka’s “Greatest Love” album
By Kirsten Okenwa
Nigeria, and the world at large lost a priceless gem on July 30, 2024; Onyeka Onwenu passed on to glory. She was our prodigious musician, actress, women’s right activist, and journalist. Nigerians across all ethnic groups loved her for her uplifting songs of love and unity, her dance and charismatic personality. Heartwarming tributes and encomiums have continued to spread across social media and news networks in her honour.
Ms. Onwenu was also a quiet humanitarian who used her material blessings to uplift the needy. The brightness of her incandescent light lit up many and her boundless passion for life was contagious. She enchanted fans worldwide and inspired young and old alike.
I was a benefactor of the energy, creativity and talents of Onyeka Onwenu and as I read her biography again, I began to think about all the things that made her the special woman that she was.
I am particularly impressed by Ms. Onwenu’s university education at the prestigious Wellesley College, Massachusetts, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Communication in 1976.
At an impressionable young age in Wellesley, Onwenu gained vast knowledge and skills that would carry her through an exceptional life. In their Twitter(X) social media bio, Wellesley College boasts of “educating barrier-breaking, bridge-building, paradigm-shifting, world-changing leaders past, present, and future.’ This is in line with the school‘s motto of “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” These words that capture the College’s dedication to service and to cultivating leadership aptly sums up the life of Onyeka Onwenu.
Wellesley College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college for women, located in the town of Wellesley in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. In 1870, Wellesley College was established by husband and wife Henry and Pauline Durant. The school was chartered in 1870 as the Wellesley Female Seminary. In 1873, it was renamed to Wellesley College, and finally opened in 1875. Today, Wellesley College joins about 26 active women’s colleges in the United States that promote equity and diversity.
Women’s colleges were originally founded to support a minority group, and they continue to assist a wide range of women of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds to this day. These colleges have diverse populations of female students; those with disabilities, students from low-income families, and immigrants.
One of the biggest limiting factors for girls in continuing a post-secondary education is cost. Once tuition, housing, and supplies are added up, university bills can discourage students and their families. As advocates for diversity and student success, women’s colleges put significant efforts into financial aid. This may have been extended to Onyeka Onwenu for her studies at Wellesley College.
Located on a gorgeous 500-acre campus in a classic New England town outside of Boston, Wellesley College environment feature stunning natural scenery including Lake Waban, vast evergreen and deciduous woodland, and open meadows. The architectural masterpieces around the campus of Wellesley College tell of the school’s rich history. An excerpt from a prose by a student at Wellesley, simply signed as Veeksha, gives a beautiful snippet of life in this great school:
“Lake Waban; picturesque views from my dorm at Wellesley over the semester. Lake Waban is an intense part of my Wellesley experience. Even as my own future is a dreamy mosaic of ambitions and ambiguity, Waban is an immutable reminder of being purposeful beyond oneself.”
Regardless of how well an applicant performs in tests, Wellesley’s admission committee is particularly interested in an applicant’s demonstrated quantitative and writing skills as key predictors for success in Wellesley’s curriculum. Onyeka Onwenu carried this writing skill beyond Wellesley College. She was popular as an inspirational songwriter and wrote most of her impactful songs. We are again riveted by her excellent writing and storytelling through her 2020 memoir; My Father’s Daughter. Her prose in this book is daunting and thought-provoking, yet with a clear message of hope.
Besides being academically challenging, the small class sizes in Women’s colleges, Wellesley included, leave open the opportunity for individualized faculty attention and mentorship. Focus is on female empowerment, while a welcoming, inclusive community of like-minded women creates a network of lifelong friendships and support. A look at Wellesley College social media pages show students and faculty members advancing in academia, publishing, communications, politics and governance. This may be one of the reasons why Onyeka Onwenu chose Wellesley College. Remarkably, it’s quite difficult to get admitted into these women’s colleges in the USA. Ms. Onwenu must have been a very bright student to qualify.
Returning to Nigeria in 1980 to complete her mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Onyeka Onwenu hit the ground running. She displayed the Wellesley fierce drive and sense of purpose by charting her course in journalism and later, in music. It was a clear, though often challenging sailing for Ms. Onwenu.
Onyeka Onwenu excelled at her work with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as a presenter and investigative reporter. She followed in the footsteps of famous women journalists and broadcast pioneers from Wellesley College who had blazed a path for generations of women in media and communications. Cokie Roberts and Diane Sawyer, both Wellesley alumnae, are amongst the distinguished women in media. Wellesley’s media pioneers have served the public for decades, providing hard-hitting journalism from political convention floors and campaign planes, interviewing world leaders, and anchoring national news programs.
On August 26, 2000, during a State Dinner in Abuja hosted by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in honour of US President Bill Clinton’s official visit, Onyeka Onwenu gave a stellar performance at the event and midway through her music, to the delight of Bill Clinton, she gave a shout-out to her fellow Wellesley alumnae, Mrs. Hillary Clinton. It must have been wonderful for Clinton to witness the musical mastery of an alumnae from his wife’s former college.
Many Wellesley alumnae attribute their success to the experience of learning and living among a select group of intelligent, ambitious women. They graduate and thrive in any sector of their choice. From the history-makers like two United States secretaries of state – Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton, astronaut and space shuttle commander Pamela Melroy, Madame Soong Mei-ling, former First Lady of the Republic of China to Katharine Lee Bates who was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for the anthem “America the Beautiful”, we are familiar with to lesser-known names.
Onyeka Onwenu’s bold and confident persona showcased the goal of many women’s colleges — to empower and cultivate women leaders. I heard many people call her arrogant, but looking at her educational foundation, it is clear that she was nurtured to become the amazing, audacious woman we applauded. Her training at Wellesley must have enhanced her confidence and developed leadership skills that saw her excel as a journalist, musician and serve as the Director General, National Center For Women Development.
I was delighted to discover that since 1974, Wellesley College had operated a women’s center called Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) with a mission to advance gender equality, social justice, and human wellbeing through high-quality research, theory, and action programs. Needless to say this must have been an added inspiration for the laudable work Ms. Onwenu carried out at the National Center for Women Development. As DG for the Center, Onyeka Onwenu started out with staff training and development. Their work expanded to several projects that benefitted many women and communities.
In a special condolence tribute for one of their own, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) gave details on Onwenu’s meritorious service as Director General of the women’s center:
“As Director-General of the Centre, she repositioned the Centre as a Training Ground for women, children and the less privileged, while also spotlighting the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). This brought about developing rehabilitation and reintegration programmes in the mainstream budget of the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development in the three most affected States in the North East of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. She also produced and dedicated an epic music titled “Not Alone” to identify with the plights of the IDPs. It was during her tenure as DG that the International Day for the Girl-Child (11th October) was first celebrated nationally in Nigeria. Additionally, she endorsed the formal training of female Artisans in the Centre and promoted the production of Ankara made souvenirs in the Centre.”
Onyeka Onwenu’s legacy lives on. What a testimony of dedicated service and courage. What a rich, meaningful life she led. She could have been daunted by the challenges she encountered in her personal life, career and political appointments but she stuck to her values and vision. She has inspired many of us to do more and to be bolder in our purpose. Thank you, Ms. Onwenu for the power of your music and generosity. Rest in peace.
Kirsten Okenwa is a writer and Industrial Chemist. She has over 20 years work in the nonprofit sector. Kirsten is fervent about food systems and agriculture.
Watch Onyeka’s Greatest Love album below.
