TRIBUTE: So long Peter Onwubuariri; So long presidential writer

Finally, Peter, my colleague, friend and brother, made the headlines. But he wasn’t around to see it. After 23 years of writing, Peter, 48, got a chance to be seen up-close. Unfortunately, it was the last opportunity. Peter left the world only 24 hours before.

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For 12 years, Peter Chukwuemeka Onwubuariri, Assistant Director, Information/Public Relations, poured his heart into drafting pressers, speeches and analysis at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He avoided the spotlight, always comfortable in the background doing his work.

On September 7, 2026, Peter Onwubuariri passed away in a hospital in Kano after a period of illness. Then came national attention at a sad moment for the family, friends and members of the Presidential Media and Publicity team.

A presidential presser issued on September 8, 2026, placed the spotlight on the late Assistant Director. Peter’s fame was also amplified by a press release by the Kano State Government.

In one day, both statements caused a stir and shaped the mood in newsrooms, particularly at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), with offices across the country, and abroad.

The once quiet and largely unsung communication writer and strategist became a national treasure on TV, radio and social media space.

Peter’s 83-year-old mother, Florence Ewekechinyere Onwubuariri, in Owerri, Imo State, would have wished otherwise. Like a piece of sad news it was, the headlines deepened her anguish, further confirming the information she had wished to be untrue. The news of Peter’s passing weighed her down. She wept endlessly for her only son, and the youngest of four children. Mama was told of Peter’s failing health, and eventual demise, but she was not prepared for the media attention.

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A few years ago in Owerri, Peter had laid his dad to rest after he suddenly died in his sleep. Now, his mother and sisters have suffered the misfortune of losing the two men in their family in succession.

It is ironic that boisterous and energetic Peter spent his last days in a hospital in Kano. The illness had taken him and his wife, Catherine, to India twice, and Egypt, in less than a year. The couple, supported by friends, family, and institutions, prayed fervently for a quick recovery.

The worst eventually happened. However, Peter’s spirit remained unbroken till the very end.

Peter Onwubuariri served as media officer under three Presidents- Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He worked under six presidential spokesmen- Dr Reuben Abati, Mr. Femi Adesina, Malam Garba Shehu, Dr Dele Alake, Chief Ajuri Ngelale and Mr Bayo Onanuga.

He travelled widely. Peter previously served as North American Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) before he was posted to the Villa in 2014.

Hardly known outside the Villa, church and media cycles, he was a workaholic, who spent most of the 12 years at the Villa writing press releases, drafting speeches, coordinating presidential meetings, analyzing news, advising on strategy and managing presidential media events, within and outside the country.

Peter Onwubuariri had a signature smile. He was ebullient, cheerful, restless, keen on details and open to banters. He loved his family deeply. His passion for writing and media work was palpable. Even at the hospitals, home and abroad, the Assistant Director volunteered to work remotely. Sometimes, he offered to monitor live events of the President, and sent press releases.

As he bent over pounding his computer keyboard in India, Egypt and Nigeria, he told his protesting wife and hospital staff, “I get my joy from writing’’.

The ailment drained Peter, bodily and financially. It resisted treatment and made him frail.

But his zeal for life was evident. At some moments, he would get up and stroll down to the hospital reception to watch his favorite team, Arsenal, play. Even 48 hours before final departure, he shared the results of a match with his wife. “We won,’’ he said, shaking his fist. Peter’s spirit was strong, but the body was weak.

The media headlines announcing Peter’s passing were engrossing: “Presidential Villa Assistant Media Director Dies,” President Tinubu Mourns Presidential Villa Assistant Director, Media, Peter Onwubuariri,” and “Governor Yusuf Condoles with Presidential Media Team Over Death of Peter Onwubuariri” among others.

Quintessential Peter would have analyzed the pressers in typical newsroom fashion and stirred banters. He missed the opportunity. Death called him home.

President Tinubu described the passing of the veteran journalist and public servant as a painful loss to the Presidency, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and the media generally.

NAN was Peter’s first port of call in public service. It was from the agency he was transferred to the Villa.

The President remarked about my valiant colleague:

“Peter was a dedicated journalist and a committed public servant whose professionalism and calm disposition earned him the respect of his colleagues and associates.

“His years of service to three administrations are a testament to his competence, integrity and commitment to duty.

“His passing is a great loss to the Presidential Villa, the media fraternity and Nigeria. He will be remembered for his diligence, his wealth of experience and his contributions to journalism and national service.”

President Tinubu commended the late journalist and public affairs officer for his dedication, professionalism and commitment to duty, noting that his years of service across three administrations reflected his competence, loyalty to the nation and enduring commitment to public service.

Kano State Governor Yusuf praised the late media officer as a dedicated public servant who made meaningful contributions to public communication and information dissemination at the presidency. The governor acknowledged that the deceased had received medical treatment at the Kano Hospital under the state authorization before his passing, and offered prayers for his family and colleagues.

For the period Peter Onwubuariri was in Kano, the governor’s Director General, Media and Publicity, Sanusi Bature, maintained regular contact and offered support. Bature said he met Peter during a presidential visit to Kano, and the relationship was sustained by his warmth, and kindness.

Peter started out with NAN as a Youth Corps member in 2002, got retained and received promotions ahead of his peers due to hard work.

A retired Editor-in-Chief of NAN, Alhaji Alli Hakeem, who interviewed Peter before he was accepted to serve in 2002, and later employed, said he observed the corps member’s confidence, and recommended him immediately.

“What a loss? I never knew that he was sick. I learnt about his passing on at 3:39 a.m. while surfing the net.

“May Peter’s soul rest among the Saints. May God Almighty grant his nucleus and larger family colleagues and friends the fortitude to bear this loss. It is quite unfortunate.

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“I still recall his first day in NAN for NYSC. He came in with about three others, and the then EiC, late Shehu Abui, saw them alight from a taxi cab.

“I was swayed by Peter’s confidence as he introduced himself in a rich baritone and looking at me straight in the face. ‘I am Peter Onwubuariri,’ he bellowed in a measured sentence.

“Confidence is a necessary ingredient to be a successful journalist. He showed confidence. I recognised the confidence,’’ Alli Hakeem noted.

Peter’s passing was a rude shock to his friends, family and colleagues. In spite of the strain of his ailment, we all hoped for a turn around.

In his last moments, Peter repeatedly said he needed to “rest’’. And in the early hours of Monday, September 7, he drew his last breath. He left behind his wife, three children, three sisters, and an aged mother.

Peter has gone to rest at last. So long, Peter. So long presidential writer.

Adieu my friend and brother!

•Oche Echeija Egwa is a Deputy Director, Information/Public Relations, Office of the Special Adviser to the President, Media & Publicity, State House.