Deji Elumoye, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed his deepest condolences to the family of the first civilian governor of Abia State and former Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, on the demise of their patriarch.
Equally, former Governor of Anambra State and two-time Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, the Abia State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election, Chief Ikechi Emenike, and other politicians from the state continued to express their sorrow over the death of the first democratically elected governor of the state who passed on Thursday at age 72.
Shettima in a tribute titled: ‘Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu: My Deepest Condolences’, personally signed by him yesterday said: “It is with profound sadness that I write to express my heartfelt condolences on the passing of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, a true statesman and accomplished Nigerian leader.
“Dr. Onu’s impact on our nation’s political landscape is immeasurable. As the first civilian governor of Abia State, he laid a strong foundation for good governance and democratic principles. His legacies in Abia State will forever be remembered.
“As the Minister of Science and Technology, his dedication to nation-building was evident in his focus on fostering scientific advancements and technological innovation in our great nation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Beyond his political achievements, Dr. Onu was a man of integrity, wisdom, and unwavering principles. He was a true patriot who dedicated his life to the progress and development of our great nation. His contributions to Nigeria’s development will be forever remembered by the nation.
“I extend my deepest sympathies to you and your family during this difficult time. May the memories of Dr. Onu’s remarkable life and the impact he had on countless lives serve as a source of comfort and strength.
“As we join you in mourning the loss of this great Nigerian, be rest assured that his legacies will continue to inspire generations of leaders to come.
“May the Almighty accept and grant his soul peaceful rest, and may He grant you and all his friends the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss”.
Similarly, in a statement by his Media Office, Ngige described the ex-minister as a sacrificial lamb to formation of the APC.
Ngige, who expressed shock and deep grief over the demise of Onu, described his exit as an unquantifiable loss to Nigeria, entire Igboland and the South East geo-political zone in particular.
He noted that the account of political development in the country, especially from the truncated Third Republic till date, cannot be complete without mentioning Dr Onu’s positive contributions.
According to him, when Nigerians needed a change from the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Onu made himself the sacrificial lamb to offer Nigerians an alternative in the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Ngige recalled with nostalgia, their first meeting in 1993 when Onu was the Governor of Abia State on the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC) and himself, the President of the Igbo socio-economic think-tank, Aka Ikenga, to discuss South-east regional integration.
He said, “We got closer in 2012 during the formation of APC. That time, I belonged to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with the current President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bisi Akande, Segun Osoba and others. As a matter of fact, I volunteered and was assigned the role of monitoring Dr Onu to continue with the merger discussion, during which he selflessly gave up his ANPP National Chairmanship to see that the merger succeeded.
“The merger of ANPP, Muhammadu Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), our party, ACN and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) led by then Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, produced the ruling APC in 2013.
“By 2015, we outsted the PDP and became the ruling party at the centre. I was appointed Minister of Labour and Employment, and Onu, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Both of us served eight years in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As a former colleague in the FEC, I remember his intelligent contributions to memos during our weekly meetings.The country lost a teacher, an erudite scholar, intellectual, politician and public servant par excellence,” he said
On his part, Emenike said the deceased left democratic credentials worthy of emulation, describing Onu as a thoroughbred academician and politician, who was not in the mould of the typical Nigerian politician.
According to him, Onu was a gentleman, “who ranked among the very few highly principled politicians in this clime,” adding that with people like him, “Nigeria’s politics would be free of rancour, deceit, betrayals,” among other bad tendencies.
“Dr. Ogbonnaya left good democratic credentials worthy of emulation. All through his political career Onu held on to his ideological belief and his name was never mentioned in any scandal,” Emenike said.
He also noted that the late Abia governor demonstrated his credentials as a visionary leader within the short period his administration lasted before the military interruption.
“The truncating of democracy in the Third Republic by the military junta robbed the then new Abia State the opportunity of getting a solid foundation which Onu was already laying before the military takeover.
“Indeed, Abians were already looking forward to another Michael Okpara in the making as Onu had outlined workable programmes that would have set Abia on a solid economic and industrial pedestal,” the former governorship flag bearer said.
In his reaction, Senator Emma Nwaka, who represented Abia North during the shortlived Third Republic when Onu served as governor, said that he received the news with rude shock because “we’ve come a long way together”.
“It was in his time as governor that I won an election to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said, adding that Onu’s sense of justice, equity and fairness made it possible for him to overcome the hurdles that threatened his senatorial ticket.
“Dr. Onu was a man of very simple taste, even as governor. He was not materialistic. Had he been the governor of Abia State for four years, the story of the state would have been different,” Nwaka said with nostalgic feelings.
However, Nwaka, who is a former Abia Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noted that even though Onu did not last long in office, he “still left some indelible footprints”.
“By his death, Nigeria has lost somebody who firmly believed in the Nigerian project, a man who without fuss surrendered his presidential ticket for democracy to gain roots in our dear fatherland. May his soul rest in peace,” Nwaka stated.
Another Abia prominent politician and President of Cosmo Base Consortium, Rev. Benson Ezem, said the late Onu was “a true leader and one who cherished a relationship”.
“Our paths crossed when he became the governor of Abia State while our company provided the needed support for his infrastructural development of the state,” he said.
Ezem noted that Onu was visionary in his leadership and development-oriented, pointing out that his shortlived administration created the Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, the Ambassador Newspapers and the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA).
“One fact about him is that he was highly principled and did not play politics of the stomach. He had character and was a very consistent person, a virtue lacking in a lot of our later days politicians,” Ezem said.
