Veteran Nigerian singer, Onyeka Onwenu has revealed how late legendary musician and activist, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti approached her for marriage.

Onyeka Onwenu made the disclosure in an interview with Kadaria Ahmed on her podcast, Quarter to 12.

The singer, songwriter and activist recounted how she rejected the late singer’s hand in marriage due to his other wives.

She said: “When he was arrested for taking money out of the country, there was a decree that you don’t take money out of the country, and this is money he had earned from the tour he previously had, and he took, I think, about 1000 something pounds.

“He was caught with it, and he was arrested. He couldn’t meet up with his concert, and they arrested and jailed him. And I came up and said, “No, that’s wrong.

“He knew that I would say no. I later heard that he had a bet with someone that she is going to run. Watch her reaction.”

Reacll that the author earlier revealed in her new autobiography, titled My Father’s Daughter that  she is she is a possessive lover and couldn’t be with the singer because she don’t understand Fela’s love for women.

Onyeka Onwenu wrote: “The second time I saw Fela was in 1984, a few years after I had returned from the United States. He had just been released from jail.

“He was arrested for attempting to travel with his band for a gig in London with the sum of 1,600 pounds for their hotel accommodation. At the time, carrying any amount of foreign currency was against one of the many decrees promulgated by the Buhari/Idiagbon military junta.

After he was released from prison, Fela sent a mutual friend, the journalist Onuorah Udenwa who is now a US-based pastor, to bring me to his club. I thought that he probably wanted to thank me for speaking up for him, but that was not it.

“He never even mentioned the article I had written in solidarity with him. Fela wanted to marry me, and I was flattered. I thanked him for the honour of wanting me to become his consort, but I turned him down all the same.”

The legendary singer added that while she was waiting for Fela at the club, she noticed how his Queens were looking at her with scorn.

“They passed by often, whispering comments about me. They were downright hostile and quite obvious about it.

I pointed this out to him and told him that I was a possessive lover and would not be able to cope as an appendage to his harem but Fela laughed”.