Buhari Appoints Secretary to the Government of the Federation

Barely 72-hours after former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, was inaugurated as Nigeria’s president,  he has appointed Ogbonaya Onu as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Dr Ogbonaya Onu, the new SGF.

This detail was made public moments ago by the APC Situation room.

Though this latest development has not been confirmed by the presidency, we bring to you five episodes of Dr Ogbonnaya Onu’s biography:

1. Date of birth: December 1, 1951.

2. State of origin: Ebonyi (Ohaozara LGA).

3. Eductaion: Izzi High School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; the College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu (distinctions in physics and chemistry); UNILAG (chemical engineering, 1976); University of California, Berkeley, California, USA (PhD in chemical engineering, 1980)

4. Professorial career:
– president general of  Izzi High School, Abakaliki, Old Boys Association;
– teaching at St Augustine’s Seminary, Ezzamgbo, Ebonyi state;
– teaching at the University of Port Harcourt. He served as the acting dean of the University’s Faculty of Engineering and was also elected as a Member of the Governing Council of the university;
– president of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, the chairman of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers of Old Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States’ Chapter;
– the pioneer National President of the Raw Materials Society of Nigeria;
– a member of the First Board of Governors of the Federal Government Raw Materials Research and Development Council;
– founded the Abia State Polytechnic at Aba, the College of Technical Education in Arochukwu and attracted the Michael Okpara Federal University of Agriculture at Umudike, near Umuahia;
– established the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State, the National Ambassador Newspapers.

Dr Onu is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering. He was also one of the longest served Directors of the Nigeria Cement Company, Nigercem, Nkalagu, Ebonyi state. He was the Visitor of Abia State University, Uturu.

5. Political career:

– elected the first governor of old Abia State (1991);
– the first chairman, Conference of Nigerian elected Governors;
– the first presidential flag-bearer (1999) of the then All Peoples Party, later transformed into the All Nigeria Peoples Party. He remained in the ANPP since its creation in 1998, till its merge into the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013;
– the national chairman of the now-defunct ANPP since September 2010. Dr Onu entered the dialogue with the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other political parties. The common efforts resulted in the historic emergence of the APC, on July 31, 2013.

Dr Onu and other party leaders willingly gave up their positions as INEC withdrew the registration of the ACN, the ANPP and the CPC.

His emergence as the SGF was predicted earlier by the analysts, who said it was only Rotimi Amaechi who could have challenged this appointment.