Lady Judith
By Sam Akadoro
Special Correspondent, Sapele
The ancient city of Sapele has once again produced another top music artiste to add to its increasing number of national and international sports women and musicians.
Sapele, still struggling to regain its pre-independence time prominence, has in this generation produced the likes of Ojokolo, Okagbare, Kefe and Lady Judith, all young and vibrant sports women and musicians.
It was, therefore, not surprising when Judith Akpomejevwe Nwachukwu (alias Lady Judith) called a press conference to announce her forthcoming album entitled, “You are the one” to a select audience.
The album also has accompanying videos.
Lady Judith, a graduate of medical laboratory science of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and daughter of the late Sir Samuel Deniran of Jesse Kingdom worked, for a decade at the Medical Department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Lagos.
While fielding questions from journalists, Lady Judith said it has not been all a bed of roses, but she gave thanks to God for making ambition a reality. She said that God saw her through many of the challenges on her path to her present status stating, “the challenges were numerous but God made it possible; in 1998, I was still working at the NNPC. I made my first album entitled, ‘There is a Name’. Because of my passion for music in 2007, I was voted as second vice president of the Practising Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and in 2009 I did the theme song of the Delta State “Finger of God”, which had in attendance of its launching the Governor of Delta State as well as other distinguish personalities.”
She said that singing has been in her blood since she was in the school, adding that she had sang in the UK, U.S.A. and many other Western countries. She said that even when she was 10 years old, she would sing in the bathroom and her daddy would tell her “no, no”, that he wanted her to do more useful profession like medicine because she was good in sciences even though her passion was for music.
She stated that though her parents prodded her to seek a medical career, but said music was still burning in her and she just subdued it, went as far as the parents wanted but given the degree of her love for music, she came back to it.
On the founding of the Association of Female Musicians in Nigeria (AFEMN), which she co-founded with other stars, she said she did everything to enlighten other budding musicians about the association’s usefulness, saying the association had its challenges. She, however, said the association gave birth to a lot of female artistes, who stormed the musical arena and contributed to the development of the Nigerian music industry.
Lady Judith said gospel music is about the substance of worshiping and praising the Lord, adding that through music, she has been able to mentor and be a role model to many women in society.
“I mentor people through email, telephone and you don’t have to be physically in contact with people to influence them because action speaks more volumes than mere talk,” stating that she plans to establish a centre for women affairs.
On class segmentation, Lady Judith stated that she was not a class-conscious person, pointing on that she has come come down to the level of the ordinary woman.
According to her, “Some people say that because I am the second vice president of PMAN, I should show some element of air but I disagree because all this about God and God Almighty does not condone arrogance and pride and unnecessary showmanship”.
She said that she is a star but that does not make her to talk on people.
On PMAN, she prayed that God will empower the leaders to stabilise the body, adding that taking up a responsibility in PMAN would disrupt her other functions as a family woman, running her company.
In her profile entitled ‘’Lady Judith’s profile,’ it was stated thus, “In a world of diverse personalities, the life of certain people speaks for them. This is true of this great woman of many parts with high intellectual capacity, who has carved a niche for herself in the academic, social and economic strata of the modern world, a woman who stands for peace, justice and equity, a rationally minded personality, a rare gem in the class of womanhood, an egalitarian, a vivacious, elegant, eloquent and a disciplined administrator and community leader.”
According to the statement, Lady Judith hails from Jesse in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State and was born into the family of the late Samuel Deniran about four decades ago. It added that after her elementary and secondary school education, she attended the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science, specialising in haemathology and blood serology.
After her graduation, she had a strut in the Medical Department of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Lagos for 10 years. Her passion made her to pursue an active career in music where she produced a gospel album entitled “There is name” in 1998. She co-founded the Association of the Female Musicians in Nigeria (AFEMN) with other stars, including the likes of Onyeka Onwenu, Esse Agasse and Salawatu Abeni.
She was chosen as the lead singer at the epoch making Benny Hinn mega crusade entitled “Heal our land”, and that of Reinhard Bonke both in 2005.
Some of the songs in her album are “Value for life” and “Thank you” which hit the airwaves in 2007.
Lady Judith’s achievements were recognised and she was elected second vice president of the Practising Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in 2007. added that with the period As PMAN’s vice president, she used her position to achieve a feat which her predecessors could not achieve when she successfully brought under one roof all the Nigerian female artistes to discuss among themselves crucial matters and challenges facing female musicians in Nigeria.
She also featured as a soloist with Ovation Red Carol Night organised by Dele Momodu in 2007 as well as the NTA World Music Day organised by PMAN and NTA in Lagos in 2008. She sang at the Goldman Sach dinner for 10,000 women in Nigeria at the Pan African University and led prominent musicians across Nigeria to the burial ceremony of the mother of the governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha. Lady Judith has organised so many shows and had hosted dignitaries, captains of industry, governors and she is a source of inspiration to many women.
Lady Judith did the theme song of Delta State “The finger of God”, which had in attendance the governor of Delta State as well as other dignitaries. In 2008, she attended the prestigious Lagos Business
School of the Pan African University where she obtained a certificate in entrepreneurship and in 2012 she incorporated Judith Nigeria Limited, which is one of the fastest growing energy, oil and gas firms in Nigeria.
Lady Judith is married with two children.
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