Ogbonnaya Onu (born December 1, 1951) is a Nigerian politician, author and engineer. He was the first civilian governor of Abia state and the current Minister of Science and Technology, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Life and Education
Ogbonnaya Onu was born on the 1st of December 1951, to the family of His Royal Highness, Late Eze David Aba Onu (Eze Adu of Uburu) in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State Nigeria. He started his education at Izzi High School in Abakaliki, 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, graduating as the overall best student. He proceeded to the University of Lagos and graduated with a first class degree in Chemical Engineering in 1976. He went for his doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley and obtained a PhD 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, Dr. Onu became a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, 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 on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He contested for the position of Governor of Abia State in 1991 under the umbrella of the National Republican Convention 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 Chief Olu Falae after a merger of his party with the Alliance for Democracy who lost to Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP. He became the National Party Chairman of the All Nigerian People's Party 2010.
In 2013, he his party (ANPP) successfully merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Democratic People's Party (DPP) and some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress (APC). In November 2015, he was appointed Minister of Science and Technology by President Muhammadu Buhari. on 21 August 2019, He was sworn in again as Minister of Science and Technology by President Muhammadu Buhari.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogbonnaya_Onu
source http://www.nairaland.com/6289587/ogbonnaya-onu-celebrates-69th-birthday
