Nigerian popular singer Teniola Apata, aka Teni the Entertainer, has said the assassination of her father, the late Brig. In her presence, Gen. Simeon Apata (retd.) greatly affected her.
Speaking in an interview with media personality Taymesan, Teni disclosed that she was two years old when gunmen stormed their Lagos home and murdered her father in the presence of the family.
The ‘Uyo Meyo’ crooner added that this affected her growing up as she has since developed trust issues.
In the interview, shared Sunday by the host Taymesan on Instagram, Teni said, “Growing up with my father passing at such a young age, the trauma of losing my father at such a young age affected me.
“You know, him being assassinated in the presence of all of us and all that stuff. I was 2 at the time.
“Him passing away robbed me of a father figure. It sort of made me have trust issues growing up. Because they [gunmen] came into our house purposely to kill him.”
The late Brig. Gen. Simeon Apata (retd.) was assassinated on January 8, 1995.
Teniola Apata MON, born December 23, 1993, is a Nigerian artist, songwriter, and entertainer. She is professionally known as Teni, or Teni The Entertainer.
Teni, the younger sister of Nigerian singer Niniola, attended Apata Memorial High School and later attended the University of Georgia, but finished at American InterContinental University, where she obtained a degree in business administration.
Teni Makaniki’s Career
Teni released her debut single “Amen” while signed to Shizzi’s Magic Fingers Records. She left the record label and signed with Dr. Dolor Entertainment in 2017. Teni started gaining prominence after releasing the single “Fargin” in September 2017. She made her breakthrough after releasing the hit singles “Askamaya”, “Case” which was later covered by Nigerian musician Snazzy the Optimist as “Upgrade”, and “Uyo Meyo“. “Askamaya” was ranked 15th on MTV Base’s year-end list of the Top 20 Hottest Naija Tracks of 2018.
On February 20, 2019, Teni was featured on YouTube Music‘s Trending Artists on the Rise. On May 3, 2019, she released the “Sugar Mummy” video. On June 14, 2019, she released a new single titled “Power Rangers”.
