Senate urges FG to immortalize Ogbonnaya Onu

By Haruna Salami

Senate on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to immortalize the former governor of old Anambra State and immediate past Minister of Science, Innovations and Technology, late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu with a national monument due to his contributions to the growth and development of the country.

The Red Chamber, in its resolutions after a motion on the passage of the late Onu by Senator Anthony Ani (APC Ebonyi South), paid tribute to the deceased during plenary and to send a delegation to condole with his family, the federal government as well as that of Abia and Ebonyi States.

Rising under the motion of urgent national importance, Senator Ani noted with a deep sense of loss, the death of Onu, which occurred on April 11, 2024, at an Abuja hospital, after a brief illness.

According to him, the late Onu was born on December 1, 1951, and was elected the first Executive Governor of old Abia State (now Abia and part of Ebonyi States).

He informed that the deceased was “a symbol of excellence and an academic icon in Nigeria, having obtained Distinctions in West African School Certificate Examination and finishing as the overall best student at the College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu, First Class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos, and Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, USA.”

Senator Ani added that the late Onu was the pioneer Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and a pioneer staff of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State while he was also the first chairman of the Conference of elected Governors in Nigeria (now Governors’ Forum).

He equally informed that the deceased was the first presidential candidate of the All People’s Party, APP in the 1999 presidential election, adding that he was the national chairman of the All Nigerian People’s Party, ANPP at the time the party was merged with other political parties to form the current ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Numerous senators, who contributed to the motion, described the late Onu as a kind politician who made a lot of sacrifices for the unity, growth and development of the country, and therefore supported his immortalization by the government.

The Senate, in its other resolution observed a minute silence in honour of the late minister