Ogbonnaya Onu an author and engineer hailed from Uburu in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
He graduated with a First Class Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos State in 1976 and became a teacher at St. Augustine’s Seminary in the Ezzamgbo area of Ebonyi State.
He obtained his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley four years after and later serve as a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State where he rose to become the pioneer Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering of the institution and later, acting dean of the engineering faculty.
The ex-minister began his political career as an aspirant for a senatorial seat in the old Imo State, under the umbrella of the National Party of Nigeria.
He later contested and was elected the first civilian governor of the then-newly created Abia State in 1991 under the platform of the National Republic Convention and was sworn in January 1992.
The former governor became the presidential candidate of the All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999, but gave up his position to Olu Falae after the defunct APP merged with another party, Alliance for Democracy.
In 2015, DR. Ogbonnaya Onu was appointed as minister of science and technology by then president, Muhammadu Buhari and was reappointed in 2019 making him the longest-serving minister in the ministry.
The former minister resigned from the position in 2022 to contest the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress which was won by Bola Tinubu, who eventually emerged as Nigerian president in the 2023 general elections.
Meanwhile, many prominent Nigerians including former President Muhammadu Buhari under whose regime Onu served as Minister have continued to pay tribute to the former governor.
Buhari, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described Onu as an “intellectual giant” and “one of Nigeria’s most outstanding scientific minds.
Buhari extended his condolences to the family of the former chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, whom he termed a notable politician.
Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi expressed deep sadness at the news of the passing of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu whom he said championed equity, peace, justice and good governance describing Onu’s death as a significant loss to the nation.
Obi hailed Late Onu as a patriotic and inclusive Nigerian leader who served the nation diligently in various capacities, highlighting his notable contributions to Nigeria’s educational advancement, both as a lecturer and an author.
Abia State Governor , Dr Alex Otti also expressed shock and sadness over Onu’s death describing it as “a huge loss to Abia State, Ebonyi State, the Igbo nation and Nigeria as a whole.”
Otti who observed that Dr Onu is one of such living statesmen with the character, carriage and statesmanly disposition required to reposition the nation for the better promised that Abia State would honour and immortalise him by ensuring that the democratic journey he started in Abia State as a civilian governor many years ago is advanced.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu also expressed sadness over Onu’s death which he said is a huge loss to Ndigbo of the South-East and Nigeria in general.