A former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu is dead. 

Onu, a former governor of Abia State, died at 72 after a brief illness in an undisclosed hospital in Abuja. 

The Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru; his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodimma and the All Progressives Congress (APC) confirmed his death in separate statements.

Governor Nwifuru said the death is a great loss to the nation.

According to him, it is indeed a sad development to lose a patriotic leader who stopped at nothing to render the best services to his people when he served in different capacities.

On behalf of the Government and people of Ebonyi State, he extended his heartfelt condolences to the immediate family and pray to God to give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

In a brief statement on its X handle, the APC said Ogbonnaya a founding member of the party will be “sorely missed”.

Onu served as minister under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari but resigned to contest the APC presidential primary in 2022.

The former minister was Abia’s first civilian governor and in 1999 became the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Party (APP). But he stepped down for Olu Falae when his party and the Action for Democracy (AD) merged.

Onu who hailed from Ụbụrụ in the Ohaozara local government area of Ebonyi state was a Nigerian politician, author, and engineer until his death.