Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, a former Minister of Science and Technology and the first civilian governor of Abia State, has died at the age of 72. He passed away after a brief illness in a hospital in Abuja, according to BBC Igbo.
Dr. Onu sought the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 general elections. He served as minister under the previous administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and was the longest-serving minister in the Ministry of Science and Technology. He resigned from his ministerial position in November 2022 to contest in the presidential primary.
Born on December 1, 1951, Dr. Onu hailed from Uburu in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. He was a Nigerian politician, author, and engineer. At the time of this report, the specific illness leading to his death was not immediately known.