Chief (Mrs.) Chrstiana Essien -Igbokwe would have been … years old if death had not come knocking on her door.
She died exactly on …. June 20… at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) but before she flew away, she had given the world sweet and everlasting music, which we still remember her by till now.
In fact, Christy still lives.
She took off on her musical journey in the commercial city of Aba with a debut album titled ‘Freedom. ‘
A complete entertainer, Christy was an actress and a musician all roll in one person. She was the original Apena, the wife of Jegede, in the equally original Masquerade of NTA Aba, the price of Idi of Idi-Araba but her musical calling took a greater part of her and she took a bow from acting to concentrate on her musicianship in 19…
As a musician, she flew the flag of Nigeria to a music festival in Seoul, South Korea, where she put up an incredible performance that earned her ‘lady of songs’ title. She was so good in one of her shows in America that a serving senator of the United States of America, gifted her a limo, making her one of the first Nigerians to be chauffered in the wonders on wheel.
One of her songs released on … Aboderin’s Skylak Records, ‘ omo mi seun rere… ‘ till date remains one of the best played record in Nigeria and was one of the albums that hit gold disc and fetched her more than a million naira in sales from the record company.
In the political front, she was instrumental to the creation of Akwa Ibom; very close to IBB and his wife, Maryam.She was a great philanthropist who was responsible for the education of the children of many indigent parents in both seconday schools and universities. A devote Christain who tried to live a Christ like life.
Onr thing this writer cannot forget about her, was that the first time he travelled by air; it was courstey of her and the occasion was the day she was bestowed with a chieftancy title by her people of onna/Okat in Eket. I made the flight on the defunct Captain Okon and co., owned ADC Airlines with Nat Obaifo-Oswele of the Sun Newspapers, then of the defunct Concord and Halim Mohammed now of Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria then of Onita Coker’s Today’s Choice. On arrival at Margret Ekpo Airport Calabar, the Akwa Ibom State government officials were on handto welcome and chauffer us to Eket, the city of Mobile in Nigeria, treated us like kings. We were accomodated at the Quo River Hotel from where we were driven accross one small river to Onna for the chieftancy conferrment.
Essien -Igbokwe and others were creditted with the formation of Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria due to what she experienced in Seoul when she represented Nigeria. I can go and on writing good things about Essien -Igbokwe but space will not permit.
Keep resting in peace lady of songs!
