Onu’s death, huge loss to Nigeria – Obi

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s elections, Mr Peter Obi, has said that the death of the first Abia State civilian governor, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, is a huge loss to Nigeria.

Obi on his X handle on Thursday, also expressed sadness over the death of Onu, who was a former minister of science, technology and innovation, under the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Dr Onu was a gentleman par excellence, a patriotic and detribalised Nigerian who served the nation in different capacities. His contributions to our educational growth as a lecturer and author remain commendable.

“Dr Onu was a leader who stood for peace and progress of the nation. He pursued justice and courageously stood up for equity and good governance. He was committed to the development of the nation.

“As one who understood the critical need to move our nation from consumption to production, he pursued many initiatives to boost local production for the development of the nation.

“His death is, undoubtedly, a huge loss to the nation. May God console his family, and all of us who mourn him, and grant us the fortitude to bear his sad irreplaceable loss. May God grant him eternal rest,” Obi said.

Dr Onu, also a former national chairman of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) reportedly died on Thursday morning at 71, after an undisclosed illness in an Abuja hospital.