Late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
President Bola Tinubu has in deepest terms condoled the family of former minister of science, technology and innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, over his death.
Onu died Thursday at the age of 72.
He was confirmed dead at an undisclosed hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Onu who joined the race for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary ahead of the 2023 general election won by Tinubu, it was gathered on Friday, was rushed to a private hospital in Abuja where he died.
A source close to the family said they were making arrangements to move him abroad after the Salah celebration when he died.
Another family source said people clustered Thurssday at his country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state discussing the matter in low tone.
Said the source: “We just saw the news in the media and many of us are here in his home in the village but no information has been revealed to us yet. People are gathering here and discussing in clusters.
“He was our illustrious son and if the information is true, that is to say that Uburu, Ebonyi and Nigeria have lost a rare gem, a gentleman to the core. The family is yet to say anything but we can see the mournful mood in them”.
But Tinubu in a statement issued by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, mourned the luminous star in Nigeria’s political firmament.
The deceased was the first civilian governor of Abia State, a principal draughtsman in the founding of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a valiant partner in the victory of the party in the 2015 elections.
Most importantly, the president celebrated the life of an accomplished scholar, first-class engineer; a man of proven integrity; defiant to indiscipline, but ever yielding to the highest standards of rectitude.
Tinubu affirmed that Onu epitomised Nigeria in concord; in wholeness, as the late statesman believed in and defended Nigeria’s unity, advocated peace, and promoted fellowship across the Niger.
He also condoled with the friends and associates of Onu, Ebonyi and Abia State governments, and all Nigerians grieving this gaping loss.
Tinubu prayed to God Almighty to grant repose to the gentle soul of this great leader
Former President Muhammadu Buhari also joined family members of the deceased and the entire country in mourning the demise of the notable politician, who served as minister of science, technology and innovation under his administration.
In his reaction to the news of the death of the former chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a party that once fielded him as a presidential candidate, Buhari in a statement signed by his media aide, Garba Shehu said the nation had lost “one of its most outstanding scientific minds and intellectuals’.
Added he: “He was an intellectual giant. My heart goes out to his family, the government and people of Abia State and the country at large. May his soul rest in peace”.
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, Sir Peter Obi, also described the death of Onu as a huge loss to Nigeria.
Obi said the former minister stood for peace and progress of Nigeria.
Said Obi while paying tribute to Onu on X: “It is with deep sadness that I received the reports of the death of my dear elder brother; the first civilian governor of Abia State and former minister of science, technology and innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
“Dr. Onu was a gentleman par excellence, a patriotic and detribalised Nigerian who served the nation in different capacities. His contributions to our educational growth as a lecturer and author remain commendable”.
Stressing that the late former minister was a leader who stood for peace and progress of the nation, Obi added that Onu pursued justice and courageously stood up for equity and good governance.
He said the former presidential aspirant under the APC was committed to the development of the nation.
“As one who understood the critical need to move our nation from consumption to production, he pursued many initiatives to boost local production for the development of the nation.
Stated Obi: “His death is, undoubtedly, a huge loss to the nation. May God console his family, and all of us who mourn him, and grant us the fortitude to bear his sad irreplaceable loss. May God grant him eternal rest”.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State also expressed shock over the death of Onu and described it as devastating and unexpected.
In a statement by his chief press secretary and media adviser, Oguwike Nwachuku, the governor said he received with “shock the sad, devastating and unexpected news of the passing of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, a man he loves to describe as one of Nigeria’s intellectual and political giants with extraordinary gentility”.
He said with Onu’s death, the South-East, Nigeria and the global community had lost a statesman who believed so much in the unity, peace, progress and development of Nigeria.
Relatedly, the minister of state for labour and employment, Hon.Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, expressed grief over the passing of the former minister.
Onyejeocha, in a statement, said she was shocked by the news and described Dr. Onu’s death as a huge loss to the entire South-East, Ebonyi State and Nigeria as a whole.
She described Onu as a role model, peacemaker and a unifying figure who prioritised the nation’s interests.
Stated Onyejeocha: “His contributions to Nigeria’s development, will be well remembered. He was a highly respected politician, author and engineer. He left behind a lasting legacy. The nation owes him a great debt of gratitude for his contributions in both the public and private sectors throughout his life”.
In his reaction, a former deputy governor of Abia State and former Senate minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, expressed shock and sadness at the death of Onu.
Abaribe who represents Abia South in the Senate said in a statement by his media adviser, Uchenna Awom, in Abuja that Onu’s death was a huge loss to Nigeria, Ebonyi and Abia States.
Onu, he said, charted the course for modern day Abia State such that “he is still being remembered for, long after Afikpo was carved out of the state.
Said Abaribe: “As the first civilian governor of the state, he laid a solid foundation for which the God’s Own State became the first in all ramifications in the comity of states in Nigeria.
“His demise came to me as a shock and I will continue to remember what he stood for while alive: uprightness. straightforwardness and epitome of civility in politics.
“He will continue to be remembered in the history of Abia State as his demise is a huge loss to the people of Ebonyi, Abia, Ndigbo and Nigeria in general”.
