The senate on wednesday in one voice urged the Federal Government to Immortalise the late Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu
The resolution came after a motion of urgent national importance, moved during plenary by Senator Anthony Ani, who is representing Ebonyi North in the red chamber.
Onu died on the 11th of April, 2024, at an Abuja hospital, after a brief illness
Ani told his colleagues that the late Onu was born on 1st December, 1951, and was elected the first Executive Governor of old Abia State (now Abia and part of Ebonyi States).
According to him, the late politician was a symbol of excellence and an academic icon in Nigeria having obtaining First Class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos, and Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, USA.
Continuing, he said the late Onu was the pioneer Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and a pioneer staff of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Portharcourt, Nigeria.
The late former governor of Abia State, according to Ani, was the first Chairman of the Conference of elected Governors in Nigeria (now Governors’ Forum).
“The late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu was the first Presidential flag bearer of the All People’s Party (APP) in the 1999 Presidential election in Nigeria.
“The late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu 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 party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
The Senate observed a minute silence in honour Onu, urged the Federal Government to Immortalise him and constituted a committre to commiserate with his family and people of Ebonyi State.
Speaking on the motion, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, described Onu as a consummate politician and a detribilise Nigerian.
He said, “If not for Ogbonaya Onu there would have been no APC today, the simplicity of Ogbonaya Onu, his humble disposition appeals to your conscience and he released the CPC for the merger to tale place what we have today the All Progressives Congress.
“I also had a personal interaction with Ogbonaya Onu when I was a Minister in the last administration and he was the Minister of Science and Technology.
“He was very innovative, he was very simple, always smiling, a man who in his lifetime had any enemy. He was friendly to all and always ready to concede and sacrifice for the good of the nation.”
In his contribution, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin, described Onu as a man of honour and integrity.
Barau said, “He was a governor and later after passing through various offices, became the chairman of a very big opposition party. Yet, he was very humble.
“I interacted with him when he was the national chairman of ANPP, the party I belonged to then, and you could see a democrat. He made sure that there was internal democracy in the ANPP.
“When the process of the formation of the APC commenced, he keyed into the project. He was one of those chairmen that willingly let their parties dissolved to form the APC at that time, because he was the last chairman of the ANPP.
“He lived a life of service to our nation. He was an epitome of humility, an epitome of credibility and an epitome of integrity.
“At this juncture, I will pray and extend my condolences to his immediate family, to the people of Ebonyi State, to the APC family and the entire nation.”
