The Governors of Abia and Imo states as well as other prominent Nigerians have continued to pay glowing tributes to the late former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu.
Family sources confirmed the death of the elder statesman in an Abuja hospital on Thursday at the age of 72.
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State expressed shock and sadness over the death of the state’s first executive governor.
In a statement issued in Umuahia, the state capital, by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Mr Otti described Mr Onu’s death as a huge loss to Abia, Ebonyi, the South-east states and the nation at large.
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He also described the deceased as “a true statesman with the character, carriage and disposition required to reposition the nation for the better.
“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 conduct or controversies capable of diminishing his reputation and personality,” the statement added.
Mr Otti pledged that the Abia State Government would honour and immortalise him “by upholding the true ideals of democracy, which he stood for”.
In a similar reaction, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State expressed shock over Mr Onu’s demise and described the incident as “devastating and unexpected”.
Mr Uzodimma’s reaction is contained in a statement issued in Owerri, the Imo State capital, by his Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku.
The statement read in part: “My principal 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.
“With Onu’s death, the South-east, Nigeria and the global community have lost a statesman, who believed so much in the unity, peace, progress and development of Nigeria,” it added.
The statement further described Mr Onu as “a leading light in the All Progressives Congress (APC) family having, for many years”.
Others pay tributes
Also reacting, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide described the septuagenarian as “one of the most principled Nigerians”.
The National Publicity Secretary of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Alex Ogbonnia, stated this in a statement issued to newsmen in Enugu.
Mr Ogbonnia stated that “Onu was a rare Nigerian, who chose to remain in the opposition throughout the 16 years of the Peoples’ Democratic Party.
”Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide received with a rude shock the news of the passing on of yet another Igbo Titan; a pathfinder, visionary, erudite scholar and astute politician, Onu at 72.
“The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, was heart-broken on hearing the sad news,” the statement added.
Mr Ogbonnia also stated that Mr Iwuanyanwu lamented the death of high profile Igbo leaders in close sequence, citing the death of his predecessor, George Obiozor, a professor; Joe Irukwu, another professor; U. K. Kalu; Ben Nwabueze, a professor of law; Sylvanus Ebigwei; Chike Edozien, a professor, and Herbert Wigwe.
“Also, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and today, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; most of who were members of the Presidential Advisory Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide,” Mr Ogbonnia also stated.
The APC Publicity Secretary in Abia State, Offor Okorie, also said in a statement that the party expressed sadness over Mr Onu’s death.
Mr Okorie described the deceased as “a true statesman”, whose death had plunged the party into a state of sober reflection.
He stated: “Abia APC is in a sober reflection and we are pained over the death of the first civilian Governor of the state.
“We have lost a great hero in Nigerian politics, but we cannot question God because ‘He gives and He takes’.”
Others, who also paid tributes to the late elder statesman, included the traditional ruler of Oriendu Autonomous Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia, Eze Philip Ajomiwe, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in 2023 in Abia State, Sunday Onuoha.
The royal father and cleric expressed deep regrets over the death of the man they described as a decent, detribalised and principled politician and called on other politicians in the country to emulate his virtues.
In their respective reactions, all the mourners expressed their condolences to Mr Onu’s family members as well as the government and people of Ebonyi State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Onu was governor of the old Abia State between January 1992 and November 1993. He became the governor on the platform of the defunct National Republic Convention (NRC).
He later became the presidential candidate of the All Peoples Party in 1999 but gave up his position to Olu Falae after the defunct APP merged with another party, Alliance for Democracy.
He also ran for the APC presidential ticket in the 2022 which he lost to President Bola Tinubu.
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