Entertainment

Onyeka Onwenu Opens Up About Love And More In New Book, ‘My Father’s Daughter’

Veteran Nigerian singer and actress, Onyeka Onwenu has finally opened up on her love life, which she successfully kept away from the media and public for years.

The ace musician, who recorded multiple hit songs in the 80 and 90s, revealed that she married a Yoruba Muslim from South-West Nigeria in 1984, though adds that the marriage, which was blessed with two males, has since ended.

Onyeka, in her memoir, titled ‘My Father’s Daughter’ which is scheduled for release on October 1, said she fell in love more than two decades ago and the union was blessed with two sons — Tijani and Ibrahim.

“In this book, I am, perhaps for the very first time, setting the records straight with respect to my connubial relationship. Yes, I was married. I married a man I fell in love with in 1984,” she wrote.

“We have two children: Tijani and Ibrahim. (Ibrahim later changed the first letter of his name from I to A, and thus became Abraham.) My husband is Yoruba, and was a Muslim when we met.”

The autobiography also reveals her life as a mother, activist, musician, wife, mother, and politician.

She also cited the effect of the war from 1967 to 1970 that disrupted her teenage life and how her family remained united despite the disturbing experience.

She also documents her years in America, the conflicts that were the products of being a migrant, her experience with workplace sexual harassment, and her decision to quit her job at the UN.

Speaking about the forthcoming book, Expand Press Limited, her publishers, stated that ‘My Father’s Daughter’ is a book that deals with the personal life of the veteran musician and movie star.

“On the marriage front, she explores challenges women face and how she refused to shrink herself to accommodate her husband’s insecurities about her fame,” it said.

“It’s a memoir young persons must read. Women especially will glean numerous lessons from her life experience since successful women in Nigeria rarely share their story in a candid manner.”