Ogbonnaya Onu was a consummate academic, stickler for propriety – Ndoma-Egba

Former Senate Leader and ex-Board Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Distinguished Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, has joined other prominent Nigerians to mourn and pay glowing tributes to erstwhile Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who reportedly died on April 11, 2024, in a hospital within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The late Onu, an engineer and lecturer turned politician, died at the age of 72.

An illustrious son of Ebonyi State, he was governor of the old Abia State between January 1992 and November 1993 on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) under the botched transition programme of former military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB).

Onu was also a one-time National Chairman of All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) that combined forces with a number of other political parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Describing his demise as shocking and sad, Ndoma-Egba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said he would be remembered for his huge contributions to nation building and sustenance of democratic governance in the country.

The ex-Senate Leader, in his condolence message, said: “Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu was a consummate academic, a stickler for propriety and in every situation he played by the rules. He was gentle, humane, humble, simple, unassuming and feared God. His breed, especially in the public sphere is fast vanishing. He will be missed for his robust contributions to national development as a teacher, governor, national chairman of a major political party, minister among others. My condolences to his family.”