My first encounter with the no-nonsense and highly principled Elegant Stallion, Lady Onyeka Onwenu, MFR, is a great lesson on why we should never give up.
Back then, at the defunct FAME Weekly, where I started my journalism career as an intern, I had suggested an interview with Ms Onwenu during one of our editorial meetings as my story idea for the week. Raising his face from what he was reading, the gentleman who offered me the first opportunity ever to write, Mr. Femi Akintunde-Johnson, aka FAJ, adjusted his sitting position before telling me that Aunty Onyeka, like I called her, took us to court over a story that obviously didn’t ‘jell’ with her. “But you can still try”, he added, not wanting to discourage me.
After securing an interview appointment, in the course of which the interviewee equally reminded me of the court case, the unexpected happened! I found out on getting back to the office that the interview didn’t record. My tape recorder malfunctioned.
Down and demoralized, and again without informing my boss, I wrote Ms Onwenu a moving letter, begging for another opportunity and also explaining what happened, as best as I could. I dropped the letter in her office with her PA and no sooner did I get to the end of Isaac John Street (in Ikeja GRA, Lagos), where I was waiting to catch a bus, than I heard someone calling my name.
I turned and behold it was the PA. “Madam says you should come back!” Trembling, I followed her to the office where the One Love superstar did not only empathize with me, but also consented to another interview. And so began a relationship that spanned over 25 years, and to be candid benefitted me immeasurably.
Besides always being there for me and constantly showering me with love, Aunty Onyeka played for me (FOC) on August 6, 2005 when I got married to my beautiful wife, Nkoli, at the Niteshift Coliseum, in Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos.
Despite residing in Opebi then, and I living in Akute, a border town between Lagos and Ogun, when we had our first child, Nmesomachukwu, she equally journeyed all the way most Sundays just to attend baptism classes preparatory to being my daughter’s godmother.
Years later, she asked me to see her in the office and on getting there, she handed me a cheque which she said must be used to open an account for her goddaughter. Surprisingly, about a month before this sad and shocking news, she asked for everybody’s account numbers which she credited yet again.
I could go on and on enumerating all the beautiful ways she impacted my life and that of my family and business.
On Saturday, July 27, 2024, at exactly 3.28 PM, she called to give me a quick update concerning an issue. If only I knew that that would be our last encounter and conversation.
My whole family is in tears. Particularly her goddaughter, Nmesomachukwu. She’s remained frozen ever since I broke the news to the family.
Please, continue to remember us in your prayers, especially as we grapple with this heavily devastating news.
Rest in peace, Aunty Onyeka Onwenu!
– Azuh Arinze is publisher/editor-in-chief of YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine and author of bestselling books like The CEO’s Bible 1&2, Success Is Not Served A La Carte, A Taste of Success, Anything And Everything Journalism, etc