By Charles Okogene
On June 30, 2024, it will be exactly 13 years since Christy Essien-Igbokwe completed her earthly journey and flew away to be with her maker.
Though, the date of the remembrance of her transition is 60 day plus away, the urge to write something in her memory keeps flashing to me and I can t resist any longer.
In a tribute about her last year in my last pace of work newdawn, I had highlighted her incredible large heart. Today, I will dwell on how I flew on air, the defunct ADC Airline, to Calabar, Cross River State courtesy her large hear. In fact, Christy still lives especially on airwaves and in the hearts of those of who knew her closely.
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 the 1990s
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 the ‘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 among those instrumental to the creation of Akwa Ibom State; 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 second schools and universities. A devote Christian who tried to live a Christ like life.
One thing this writer cannot forget about her, was that the first time he travelled by air; it was courtesy of her and the occasion was the day she was bestowed with a chieftancy title by her people of Onna/Okat in Eket now part of Akwa I am State. I made the flight on the defunct Captain Okon and co., owned ADC Airlines with Nat Obaifo-Oswele of the now of Sun Newspapers, then of the defunct National 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 hand to welcome and chauffer us to Eket, the city of Mobile in Nigeria, treated us like kings. We were accommodated at the Quo River Hotel from where we were driven across one small river to Onna for the chieftancy conferment.
Essien -Igbokwe and others were credited with the formation of the 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!
