Former Nigerian minister is dead (PHOTO)

<p>Former Nigerian minister is dead &lpar;PHOTO&rpar;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>A former Minister of Power and Steel in the Second Republic&comma; Paul Unongo&comma; has died at the age of 87&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;18507" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-18507" style&equals;"width&colon; 800px" class&equals;"wp-caption alignnone"><img class&equals;"wp-image-18507 size-full" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;11&sol;Screenshot-2022-11-30-at-6&period;32&period;05-AM&period;png" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"800" height&equals;"472" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-18507" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Paul Unongo<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Unongo&comma; an indigene of Jato Aka in the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State&comma; died on Tuesday morning in Jos&comma; Plateau State capital&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A close family source confirmed his death to reporters in Makurdi&comma; Benue State&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Yes Wantaregh Paul Unongo died today Tuesday but I cannot say more than that because I am not authorised to do so&period; But our family will issue a formal statement on the development&comma;” the source said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Until his death&comma; Unongo was the chairman of the Governing Council of Nigerian Educational Research Development Council&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In 2017&comma; he succeeded Maitama Sule as the chairman of the Northern Elders’ Forum&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Born on September 26&comma; 1935&comma; Unongo belonged to the Kwaghngise-Anure-Abera ancestry in Turan&comma; Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The elder statesman was the pioneer Secretary General of the defunct Nigerian People’s Party &lpar;NPP&rpar; and an ally of the late Nnamdi Azikiwe&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>President Buhari mourns Paul Unongo<br &sol;>&NewLine;Meanwhile&comma; President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the demise of Unongo&comma; saying that the country lost an elder statesman&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The president made the pronouncement in a condolence message issued by his media aide&comma; Malam Garba Shehu&comma; in Abuja&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A former Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum and former Minister of Steel Development in the Second Republic&comma; Unongo held several political positions and was involved in Constitutional conferences&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In a tribute&comma; Buhari acknowledged the close relationship he had with the deceased&comma; stating that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;in all the positions he held as a politician and public officer&comma; he displayed a high level of decorum&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;He was a colossus in public life&comma; very articulate and witty&period; He served his community and the nation well&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and the government and people of Benue&comma;’’ Shehu quoted the president as saying&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Unongo&comma; who hailed from Jato Aka in the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue&comma; died in Jos on Tuesday at the age of 87 years&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He aspired to govern Benue in 1983&comma; but lost to Mr Aper Aku also of blessed memory&period; In 2017&comma; Unongo succeeded late Alhaji Maitama Sule as the chairman of the Northern Elders Forum&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;