… He’s best president Nigeria never had –APC South East leaders
…Wife collapses, revived over news of his death
…Moghalu, Okechukwu pay tributes
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Number 4 Samora Machel Street, Asokoro residential home of former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, yesterday turned a mecca of sort for families, friends, political associates that visited to mourn his passing away on Thursday.
Among the early callers were Onu’s successor in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, and his entourage comprising National Vice Chairman, South East of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ijeomah Arodiogbu, the party’s Enugu State chairman, Ugochukwu Agbala, former Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, former Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON) among many other grieving dignitaries.
Speaking to Daily Sun after condoling Onu’s widow, who allegedly collapsed when she heard the news of her husband, the Minister of Science and Technology revealed that his death occurred when President Bola Tinubu was finalising arrangements to fly him outside the country for further treatment, disclosing that he had earlier visited him in the hospital two weeks ago with the Minister of Health, Mohammad Ali Pate.
Fielding questions from our reporter, Nnaji described his departure as a big loss to Igboland, Nigeria and the APC, stressing that Onu did not die an unfulfilled man.
“We came on a condolence to Onu’s family for the death of a great Igbo man, a patriotic Nigerian, and an icon. He was a great iroko that has fallen. His death was shocking and it is of public knowledge that we have lost a gentleman par excellence; he is an excellent human being; the Igbo, our party, APC and the entire country will definitely miss him,” he said.
On his unfulfilled dreams, Nnaji said: “I don’t think he has any unfulfilled dream. He was an excellent, accomplished and consummate politician. The question should be what has he not achieved.
“I was in the hospital two or three weeks ago with the Minister of Health on the instance of Mr President and I can confirm that Mr President is making plans to take him out of the country for further treatment but we didn’t know that it will come this way. We thank God for his life,” he said.
Speaking to Daily Sun earlier, Uzoma Onu, the youngest brother to the deceased said that the quintessential politician did not die of negligence.
“He took ill for a little while and we lost him in the early hours of today. We are devastated that he has gone to the great beyond. His death is very colossal. The family is in a very deep distress over the irreplaceable loss. He died when we and the country needed him most. It was a sad one I must tell you,” he said.
Uzoma noted that; “his unfulfilled dreams is that Dr Onu had wished to be part of a new Nigeria to make the country great. It has always been his dream. But, it is only God that can confirm if he actually fulfilled that dream of making Nigeria great.
“It is only God that calibrates the height we could go. We may have a tall dream but it is God that will help us actualise it. The truth is that my elder brother was a man of high dream. He was a man of untiring aspiration, but it is unfortunate that he was no longer part of the forces to make a new Nigeria.
“I will definitely miss everything about him. His integrity, his scolding, uprightness, putting everybody on his toes and his wanting everything to be perfect and preaching of peace.
“Like I said earlier, we will miss him so much, and like Oliver Twist, the family would have appreciated he stayed with us longer. But as it pleases God to take him this way, we can’t question God. The news should not be that he died out of neglect and negligence.”
In his own reaction, the APC National Vice Chairman, South East, dismissed the insinuations that he died a very unhappy man with his party, announcing that he will personally make case for him to be immortalised.
Describing him as the President Nigeria never had, Arodiogbu said: “The party has lost one of its best and brightest. His contribution to the success and growth of APC as a party cannot be written in any volume of book. He brought a lot of things to bear to the progress of the party. We will dearly miss him.
“As for immortalising him, I want to assure that it will be discussed and done. The party owe it as an obligation to do so as a founding father of the party. I will personally promote that the party immortalises him.
“They said he died harbouring animosity against APC but there is no iota of truth in it. We had a wonderful relationship with him and the zonal chairman, I had consulted him in most of the steps I took along the way towards the success of the party. It is not true that he is angry with the party.
“He is a true politician with high spirits of sportsmanship and I will announce it loud that he was the best president Nigeria never had but then that is politics for you.”
In his tribute, Dr. George N. Moghalu, former Managing Director/CEO National lnland Waterways Authority (NIWA), wrote: “It is with great sadness that l received the news of the passing on of my leader, a great Nigerian, proud son of the lgbo nation. One of the finest politicians that ever existed. A consistent man, highly intelligent, dependable and reliable.
“Dr Onu was very detriabalised and very trusting. It is my prayer that the good Lord will grant his soul eternal rest and the family and associates he left behind, the fortitude to bear the loss,” Moghalu wrote in his tribute.
Former VON DG, noted: “His Excellency, Ogbonaya Onu was an immaculate person; both in body, soul and his white apparels. He lived a successful and eventful life.
“His humility and diligence is uncommon. He was a brilliant scholar with distinctions at primary, secondary and tertiary education. He told a story of how his Headmaster procured Mary Knoll secondary school form for him.
“May Almighty God grant the fortitude to his lovely wife, immediate family and Uburu community. They should take solace on the truism that God gives and takes. For Dr Onu going by the lyrics of American composer, Irvin Berlin, the Song ends and the melody lingers.”
