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Ogbonnaya Onu (born 1 December 1951) is a Nigerian politician, author and engineer. He was the first civilian governor of
Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to th ...
and was minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Nigeria from November 2015 till his resignation in 2022. He was the longest serving Minister of the ministry.


Life and education

Ogbonnaya Onu was born on December 1, 1951, to the family of Eze David Aba Onu in Amata, Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of then Eastern region, later Imo State, then Abia State and now
Ebonyi State Ebonyi State ( ig, Ȯra Ebonyi) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia State to the south ...
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. He started his education at Izzi High School in
Abakaliki Abakaliki is the capital city of Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria, located southeast of Enugu. The inhabitants are primarily members of the Igbo nation. It was the headquarters of the Ogoja province before the creation of the Southeastern ...
, now the Ebonyi State capital. Here, he obtained grade one with distinction in his West African School Certificate Examination. He also sat for the High School Examination at College of Immaculate Conception (C.I.C)
Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Én ...
, graduating as the overall best student. He proceeded to the
University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...
and graduated with a first class degree in
Chemical Engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials in ...
in 1976. He went for his doctoral studies at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...
and obtained a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
degree in Chemical Engineering in 1980.


Career


Teaching career

After his graduation from the University of Lagos, Ogbonnaya Onu became a teacher at St. Augustine's Seminary, Ezzamgbo, Ebonyi State. After the completion of his doctoral studies at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...
, Onu became a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the
University of Port Harcourt The University of Port Harcourt is located in Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt and was given university status in 1977. The University of Port Harcourt was ran ...
, and later became the pioneer Head of the Department. He also served as the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and was also elected as a Member of the Governing Council of the University.


Political career

Ogbonnaya Onu started his political Career as an aspirant for a Senatorial seat in the old
Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo River which flows al ...
on the platform of the
National Party of Nigeria The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic (1979–1983). History Formation The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian ...
(NPN). He contested for the position of Governor of
Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to th ...
in 1991 under the umbrella of the
National Republican Convention The National Republican Convention was a Nigerian political party established by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida and ultimately disbanded by the military regime of General Sani Abacha in 1993. Alignment The party was organized to ca ...
and won. He was sworn in as the first Executive Governor of the State in January 1992. He was the first chairman, Conference of Nigerian elected Governors. In 1999, he was the Presidential flag bearer for the All People's Party but relinquished the position to
Olu Falae Chief Samuel Oluyemisi Falae (born 21 September 1938), is a Nigerian banker, administrator and politician, he was secretary to the military government of Ibrahim Babangida from January 1986 to December 1990, and was briefly the Finance Minister ...
after a merger of his party with the Alliance for Democracy who lost to
Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...
of the PDP. He became the National Party Chairman of the
All Nigerian People's Party The All Nigeria Peoples Party (abbr. ANPP) was a political party in Nigeria. Under the leadership of Late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke who was its vice presidential candidate to General Muhammadu Buhari in the 2007 presidential elections. The party w ...
2010. In 2013, he his party ( ANPP) successfully merged with the
Action Congress of Nigeria The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), formerly known as Action Congress (AC), was a Nigerian political party formed via the merger of a faction of Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several othe ...
(ACN),
Congress for Progressive Change The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was a political party founded in Nigeria in 2009 in preparation for the April 2011 elections. It was the 63rd political party to be founded in the country. In February 2013, the party merged with the ...
(CPC), Democratic People's Party (DPP) and some members of the
All Progressives Grand Alliance The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is a political party in Nigeria. Electoral history At the legislative elections held on 12 April 2003, the party won 1.4% of popular votes and 2 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives of Niger ...
(APGA) to form the
All Progressives Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, the ...
(APC). In November 2015, he was appointed Minister of Science and Technology by President
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...
. on August 21, 2019, He was sworn in again as Minister of Science and Technology by President
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...
.


Awards and achievements

Onu is a certified member of
Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria Council for the Regulation of Engineering in NigeriaCOREN formerly known as Council for the Registration of Engineers in Nigeria, is the regulatory body that governs the practice of engineering in Nigeria. Registration Procedure in private compa ...
, a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, fellow of the
Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers The Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE) is an organization for chemical engineers in Nigeria. NSChE was officially inaugurated on 12 March 1969 at a meeting at BP House in Lagos attended by twenty four Chemical Engineers, all trained abr ...
. As a Minister of Science and Technology, he began the National Science and Technology Week which held its first edition on 13 to 17 April 2017 in
Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plan ...
and then in March 2018 to showcase inventors and inventions. He signed a Memorandum of Undertaking (MOU) with three international companies to export indigenous technologies and food. He also signed an agreement with NASCO to kick off commercial production of High Nutrient Density biscuits. In 2016, he initiated a programme tagged "774 YOUNG NIGERIAN SCIENTISTS PRESIDENTIAL award (774-YONSPA)" aimed at encouraging and developing the interest of Nigerian youth in science, technology, and innovation (STI). In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of
Commander of the Order of the Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The republic instituted two orders of merit: the Order of the Niger and the Order of the Federal Republic. Award The two highest honour ...
(CON) was conferred on him by President
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...
.


Controversies

Onu said Nigeria will begin local production of pencils by 2018 which he said will provide 400,000 jobs. As of 2019, the said production of pencils has not commenced. In 1999, prior to the Presidential election and the alliance between the All People's Party and Alliance for Democracy, Onu was involved in a conflict involving both APP/AD picking
Olu Falae Chief Samuel Oluyemisi Falae (born 21 September 1938), is a Nigerian banker, administrator and politician, he was secretary to the military government of Ibrahim Babangida from January 1986 to December 1990, and was briefly the Finance Minister ...
as the joint presidential flag bearer.


See also

*
List of people from Ebonyi State The following is a list of notable people whose state of origin is Ebonyi State, Nigeria. {{compact ToC, side=yes, top=yes, num=yes A * Chris Abani * Anthony Agbo * Anyim Pius Anyim, first president of the Nigerian Senate from Ebonyi St ...

Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
*
Cabinet of Nigeria The Federal Executive Council (FEC) is the cabinet of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is part of the executive branch of the Government of Nigeria. The council's role, as written in the Ministers' Statutory Powers and Duties Act, is to serve ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Onu, Ogbonnaya Living people Governors of Abia State Lists of state governors of Nigeria University of Lagos alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni 1951 births People from Ebonyi State Writers from Ebonyi State Nigerian chemical engineers Chemical engineering academics