Igbeaku Orji Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has named the State Polytechnic Aba after the first elected governor of the State late Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.
In his tribute at the commendation service in Umuahia, ‘Ogbonnaya Onu: A Legacy that cannot be Eclipsed by the Misery of Death’, the governor described Onu as an accomplished statesman and trailblazer.
Otti said: “Dr Onu’s greatness goes beyond his remarkable run in politics which offered him the platform to serve as the first democratically-elected Governor of our dear State, Abia, Minister of the Federal Republic, former National Chairman of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), a former presidential candidate and a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and a voice of conscience in very difficult moments.”
Otti observed that as the first democratically elected Governor of Abia State Dr Onu not only laid the foundation for the dynamic and structured development of all parts of the State but also set up major administrative and service-delivery structures that are still functioning till today.
“Dr Ogbonnaya Onu’s administrative genius inspired the setting up of the Abia State Polytechnic Aba, the Abia State College of Education (Technical) Arochukwu, and the National Ambassador Newspaper. It is also important to recall that it was under Governor Onu that the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, now Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (MOUAU), was established.
“The simultaneous establishment of these institutions in the three senatorial districts of the State speaks to Dr Onu’s distinction as a strategic leader who understands the connection between institutions of learning and the development of the critical manpower necessary for holistic and widespread economic growth,” he said.
“Standing firmly on his belief that we are only limited by the size of our dreams, Dr Onu moved from the Ivory Tower to the political arena. In 1991, he contested for the governorship of the newly created Abia State on the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC) and won the massive support of the voters who bought into his agenda of technology-driven development.
“He was sworn in as the first Executive Governor of our State in January 1992 and remained in office until November 1993 following an unfortunate military coup that not only truncated his development vision for the State but also set the nation back in a catastrophic fashion.”
He said the demise of the former Governor, in April created a social and political void that would be difficult to fill and condoled the government and people of Ebonyi State, Uburu, Onu’s community Ohaozara LGA in particular and the family.
Otti traced Dr Ogbonnaya Onu’s political sojourn after their abridged tenure as Governor of Abia State to 1999 when he gave up the presidential ticket of the now-defunct All Peoples Party (APP) because he believed that the long-term unity of the nation mattered more than his political ambition.
“He did not cling unto what he had rightfully earned for the simple reason that he loved the country and its democratic future more than his desire to occupy the exalted seat of the presidency.
“Beyond his easy-going nature, Dr Onu was also a man of great conviction who never shied away from saying the truth whenever necessary, even to the most powerful individual, as he did many times in his long public service career.”
He urged those he left behind to find a better way of celebrating and honouring the memory of the great icon by reflecting on individual journeys and asking very important questions of ourselves.
According to him, “Dr Ogbonnaya Onu is celebrated across the nation today because he was deliberate in deploying his intellect and the privileges of the political offices he occupied to serve our people, advance the cause of justice and inspire in others, a can-do-spirit that has enabled them to overcome the limitations of their humble backgrounds.
