Onyeka Onwenu, a veteran Nigerian singer and actress, gave a profound remark three years ago about how she wanted to be remembered and buried.
Onwenu died on Tuesday night at Reddington Hospital in Lagos after falling at Mrs. Stella Okoli’s birthday party. She left behind a legacy of great music and profound advocacy.
In a 2021 opinion post published on Premium Times, Onwenu expressed her desire for a modest and private burial with no unnecessary fanfares.
“Do it quickly, quietly and privately,” she wrote.
She encouraged her loved ones to mourn her death, but not overly. Instead, she hoped they would honor her life with prayers and lighthearted moments.
“Celebrate me with prayers, lunch or dinner afterwards. Share some jokes about me and laugh. Make merriment and then go about your business,” she expressed.
Onwenu also asked her friends to celebrate her while she was still alive, rather than after her death.
“If my friends want to celebrate me, they should do so while I am alive, so that I can enjoy it with them, not when I am gone and have no idea about this. That is me Onyeka Onwenu,” she stated.
Her perspective included a condemnation of the excessive displays of riches that are common at Nigerian burials, comparing her desires with the expensive funeral of Obi Cubana’s mother, which created great controversy.
“I am very uncomfortable with the lavish display of wealth on any occasion, especially in a time of hardship and lack for most others,” she remarked, advocating for more modest and meaningful ways to honor the deceased.
Onyeka Onwenu’s diverse career included music, movies, advocacy, journalism, and politics.
She held several prominent positions, including chairing the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and serving as an X Factor judge.
Her music, which includes songs like “One Love” and “You and I,” as well as her writings, including her autobiography “My Father’s Daughter,” have had an everlasting impact on Nigerian culture.
