Omawumi Emerges Highest Paid Female Artiste, Moves into her N100million Lekki Home

Big girl tinx. According to a new report on Encomium, singer Omawumi Megbele is now adjudged the highest paid female artiste in Nigeria. With proceeds from shows to mouth-watering endorsements, the Warri, Delta State born singer s now in the league of musicians that cruise in exotic cars and live in multi-million naira houses. 

ENCOMIUM Weekly’s findings revealed that Omawumi’s performance fee has risen from N3

million (as at September 2013) to N5 million, depending on the show. And sources close to her say Omawumi performs at least six times in a month. 

By popular demand, she features frequently at private parties plus the fact that she is one of the regular faces at big concerts, within and outside Nigeria. She's missing in action at this year’s Nigerian Breweries sponsored Star Trek, the biggest music concert in Africa because of her relationship with another brand, Guinness.

There are instances, Encomium learnt, where guests personally want the prolific song-writer to perform, and the organisers ensure that she graces the shows. A close source cited examples:

• the just concluded Vanguard Newspaper Personality of The Year Award, where the winner, Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan personally requested Omawumi to perform, which they did despite the fact they had earlier contacted her.
• Not only that, Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was elated to see the talented singer thrill at the 2014 World Economic Forum held in Switzerland, where she, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr. Tony Elumelu, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze (Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein), and other delegates rocked!
• Omawumi was also the only female music star, aside Ara, the drummer, that performed at the Nigeria Centenary Celebration grand finale held on February, 2014 at The Abuja National Stadium, Abuja.

Currently, Omawumi is the only female music star with the highest number of endorsements, followed closely by the vivacious Tiwa Savage. 

Omawumi is:

•  an ambassador of Glo, one of Nigeria telecommunications giants, and the endorsement is worth N25 million.
• She also also signed a multi-million deal with Guinness, as a face of Malta Guinness Africa.
• She was unveiled recently as Konga.com ambassador.
• The hard working singer is also the face of Mortein, where she participated in the malaria campaign across Africa. 
• She’s part of the Rise With The Energy of Africa and Project Alert Society.
• Last week, the crooner was among the 19 African artistes invited for one.org agriculture campaign called Do Agric, It Pays, with one of the continent’s biggest musical collaborations ever, entitled, Cocoa Na Chocolate!

Unlike other artistes who go round boasting with their achievements, the gifted singer is humble. She has been described as a silent achiever, who believes in the concept - Less Talk, More Action. 

Unknown to many, Omawumi moved into her own house at Lekki Phase 1, around Tantalizers area, Victoria Island, Lagos in January, 2014 and the edifice, ENCOMIUM Weekly gathered, gulped N100 million. During the period, the leading music star in Nigeria acquired a 2012 ML 350 Mercedes worth about N12.5 million.

She has been able to achieve all these within seven years and without a record label! Even though at some point, she went off the music scene for a couple of months to have her baby Kamillah. Her pregnancy was surrounded by controversy, it was rumoured that she was impregnated by a south-south governor. She later silenced her critics when she revealed the name of her baby's father as Tosin Yusuf.  

And for her success, Omawumi thanks her management. According to her:

I am really happy about the people around me. Big thanks to my father, like I call him, Mr. Sunday And for setting up a fantastic management team, including my energetic band members. I thank God for making it possible because music is a form of enjoyment for me and I thank God that I can eat from what I enjoy doing. 

The industry has been good to me. If I must tell you the truth, apart from some bad belle people or head people, who are bent on bringing you down, they are there to make you strong. I have had opportunities of making good friends in the industry. They look up to me as their baby sister. So, the industry has been good to me and I feel very good.”