Onyeka Onwenu, popularly known as “The Elegant Stallion”, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress, human rights activist, social activist, journalist, and politician. She is a former chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture, and currently the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.

Onyeka Onwenu hails from Arondizuogu, a small town in Ideato North of 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, leaving his widow to raise five children alone after her husband’s family denied her access to his property. This experience of life influenced Onwenu’s music, specifically the song “African Woman” from her fourth album One Love.

Onwenu has 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. Onyeka Owenu worked at the United Nations as a tour guide before returning to Nigeria in 1980 to complete her mandatory one-year national service with NTA, where she made an impact as an articulate, incisive, and fearless reporter.

Originally a secular artist, Onyeka Onwenu made the transition to gospel music in the 90s, and most of her songs are self-penned. She continues to write and sing about issues such as health (HIV/AIDS), peace and mutual coexistence, respect for women’s rights, and the plight of children.

In recognition of her contribution to music and arts in Nigeria, she has been celebrated by professionals in the arts industry in Nigeria.