President Bola Tinubu extended his deepest condolences to the Onu family over the passing of Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, CON.
Chief Onu passed away on Thursday at the age of 72.
A release signed by the president’s spokesman Ajuri Ngelale states: “The President mourns a luminous star in Nigeria’s political firmament. The first civilian governor of Abia State; former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, 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 celebrates 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”.
President Tinubu affirms that Chief Onu epitomizes Nigeria in concord; in wholeness, as the late statesman believed in and defended Nigeria’s unity, advocated peace, and promoted fellowship across the Niger.
The President also condoles with the friends and associates of Chief Onu, Ebonyi and Abia State Governments, and all Nigerians grieving this gaping loss.
Also, Abia state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has expressed shock and sadness over the death of the First Civilian Governor of the Old Abia state, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu. Dr. Onu was the governor before the creation of Ebonyi out of the old Abia and Enugu states.
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Otti described Dr. Onu’s death as a huge loss to Abia state, Ebonyi State, the Igbo nation and Nigeria as a whole, because, according to the governor, Dr. Onu is one of such living statesmen with the character, carriage and statesmanly disposition required to reposition the nation for the better.
According to Governor Otti “Dr. Ogbonnaya was a gentleman and statesman with rich experience and wealth of knowledge, and was very outstanding in his character, comportment and engagements. Even though he held public offices both as a Governor and Minister respectively at difficult times, he was never associated with conducts or controversies capable of diminishing his reputation and personality. We are therefore saddened by his demise at a time his statesmanly contributions and interventions were needed in Nigeria”, the Governor stated.
Governor Otti promised that Abia would honour and immortalise Dr. Onu by ensuring that the democratic journey he started in Abia as a Civilian Governor many years ago is advanced to a level where the welfare and well-being of Abians would be made an institutionalised priority at all times, and called on today’s politicians to emulate Dr. Onu’s model of decency, decorum and contentment in public service as a way of ensuring sanity in our body polity.
The Abia Chief executive, on behalf of his family, the government and people of Abia state, condoled with the Onu family, the government and people of Ebonyi State, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, and prayed God to grant Dr. Onu’s soul eternal repose in his bosom, and his family, the fortitude to bear the loss.
