BREAKING: Ex-Abia gov, Ogbonnaya Onu, is dead

BREAKING: Ex-Abia gov, Ogbonnaya Onu, is dead

Ogbonnaya Onu, Abia State’s first civilian governor, died this morning at the age of 72 in an Abuja hospital, according to BBC Igbo.

Prior to entering politics, Dr. Onu was a famous scientist and educator. He worked as a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt before switching to national politics during President Ibrahim Babangida’s unsuccessful civilian rule transition in the early 1990s.

READ ALSO:

• Gombe extends Eid-el-Fitr holiday to Friday
• Israeli missile strike kills three sons, four grandchildren of Hamas political leader
• Actors Guild of Nigeria confirms Junior Pope’s death, says ‘We finally lost him’

Dr. Onu secured the governorship of Abia in 1992. However, his term was cut short due to the military takeover led by General Sani Abacha in 1994, which ousted the civilian administration of Ernest Shonekan.

Despite the interruption to his governorship, Dr. Onu remained a prominent figure in Nigerian politics. He contested for president on multiple occasions and most recently resigned as Minister of Science and Technology under President Buhari to participate in the 2022 presidential primaries.

BREAKING: Ex-Abia gov, Ogbonnaya Onu, is dead