Abia State government has renamed the State Polytechnic as Dr Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, immortalising the first democratic governor of the state.
The governor, Alex Otti, announced this on Thursday in a tribute at a commendation service held in honour of the late governor in Umuahia, the state capital.
“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,” he said.
He eulogized the late former governor for having been a minister, national chairman of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, a founding member and an All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, and a voice of conscience in very difficult moments.
“As outstanding as his services and contributions to national development are, his enduring value for me would be in his humble disposition to life, an understanding that there is great power in being graceful, especially when we suffer personal setbacks,” he said.
Delivering a sermon at the service, the Catholic Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Most Rev Michael Ukpong, noted that Onu contributed very much to the development of the country.
“Onu is not dead because he left indelible marks in the state, such as the establishment of the BCA Radio/TV, tertiary institutions and the Abia Tower of Peace, which is the symbol of the state,” he added.
The late former governor served the state during the botched Third Republic from January 1992 to December 1993 on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention.
