The Governor of Abia state, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR has expressed shock and sadness over the death of the First Civilian Governor of the Old Abia state, His Excellency, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu who passed on a few hours ago. Dr. Onu was the governor before the creation of Ebonyi out of the old Abia and Enugu states.
Governor Otti described Dr. Onu’s death as a huge loss to Abia state, Ebonyi State, the Igbo nation and Nigeria as a whole, because, according to the Governor, Dr. Onu is one of such living statesmen with the character, carriage and statesmanly disposition required to reposition the nation for the better.
According to Governor Otti “Dr. Ogbonnaya was a gentleman and statesman with rich experience and wealth of knowledge, and was very outstanding in his character, comportment and engagements. Even though he held public offices both as a Governor and Minister respectively at difficult times, he was never associated with conducts or controversies capable of diminishing his reputation and personality. We are therefore saddened by his demise at a time his statesmanly contributions and interventions were needed in Nigeria”, the Governor stated.
Governor Otti promised that Abia would honour and immortalise Dr. Onu by ensuring that the democratic journey he started in Abia as a Civilian Governor many years ago is advanced to a level where the welfare and well-being of Abians would be made an institutionalised priority at all times, and called on today’s politicians to emulate Dr. Onu’s model of decency, decorum and contentment in public service as a way of ensuring sanity in our body polity.
The Abia Chief executive, on behalf of his family, the government and people of Abia state, condoled with the Onu family, the government and people of Ebonyi State, and the Federal government of Nigeria, and prayed God to grant Dr. Onu’s soul eternal repose in his bosom, and his family, the fortitude to bear the loss.
