00:00You probably know Oinka Uenilu as the elegant stallion of the Nigerian music industry.
00:05But what if I told you there was another side to her, you know, a side that seems to be
00:09forgotten
00:10or lost through history. People tend to forget that before she became a musical icon,
00:16she was investigating corruption. That chapter that seems to be forgotten most of the time
00:21began in the newsroom, not in the recording studio, because prior to the recording studio,
00:25she had a life as a reporter. Oinka Uenilu was one of Nigeria's boldest and biggest journalists.
00:32Armed with nothing but a microphone, a note bag, and a couple of difficult questions.
00:38She reported stories that many Nigerians, many people, many journalists, in fact,
00:44were afraid to speak. They wouldn't even touch it. They wouldn't even go near it.
00:48Then in 1984, she made history. Working with the BBC, Oinka Uenilu released
00:54a documentary she titled, Nigeria, a squadron of riches.
00:59News and abuse of public office for self or group aggrandizement,
01:04which had assumed debilitating proportions in the last few years,
01:08will be dealt with ruthlessly, no matter whoever may be involved.
01:26The documentary took viewers across the country, exposing how the Nigerian oil wealth was being lost
01:34to corruption and to poor governance. She was a reporter who did the legwork,
01:40conducted the interviews, and stood by her facts.
01:44She was a pioneer for women in the newsroom.
01:46She proved that even a female journalist could do the most difficult tasks
01:51in a male-dominated industry.
01:53Before returning to Nigeria, she had worked with the United Nations in New York.
02:00Then she joined the NTA, Nigerian Television Authority.
02:04For Oinka, becoming a musician wasn't about changing career.
02:07It was simply about changing the microphone.
02:10It was changing the medium to which she passed her message.
02:13It was from telling stories, reporting news, interviewing people.
02:19She moved it to singing on stage.
02:22To reach a, some could even consider it reaching a wider audience.
02:25But all through it all, a message stayed the same.
02:29Unity, justice, and hope.
02:32Now, history remembers Uyeka Owenu.
02:34It remembers the woman who questioned Nigeria before serenading it.
02:47The communists were in the country's house to achieve their environments.
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