Former Abia Governor, Ex-Minister, Ogbonnaya Onu dies at 72

Former Minister of Science and Technology under the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Ogbonnaya Onu has died at the age of 72.

A source, close to the deceased, confirmed the death to this newspaper on Thursday.

Onu, a former governor of Abia State, died after a brief illness in an undisclosed hospital in Nigeria.

Recall that the late 72-year-old former minister contested for the presidential flag of the All Progressive Congress (APC) during the 2023 general election, but lost to President Bola Tinubu.

Onu was a Nigerian politician, author and engineer until his death.

He was the first civilian governor of Abia State and was the minister of science, technology and innovation of Nigeria from November 2015 until his resignation in 2022.

The Abia State governor was the longest serving minister of the ministry.