What The North Must Do To Honour Late Paul Unongo—Statesman

<h4>What The North Must Do To Honour Late Paul Unongo<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a> <&sol;strong>reports that Paul Unongo&comma; former minister of Steel Development in the second republic&comma; was a man well respected across strata in the Nigerian system&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Specifically&comma; Paul Unongo who was the chairman governing council of the Nigerian Educational Research Development Council&comma; NERDC&comma; before he died at 87&comma; was held in high esteem in the circle of critical stakeholders in the northern part of Nigeria and indeed Nigeria and overseas as a result of his commitment to humanity&comma; democratic best practice and the rule of law&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Among other key positions he held was overseeing the affairs of northern Nigeria in the capacity of chairman&comma; Northern Elders Forum&comma; NEF&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;It was partly on this and other nationalistic roles he played to ensure a better Nigeria that the Federal Executive Council&comma; FEC&comma; presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari&comma; observed a minute of silence in honour of Second Republic Minister of Power and Steel&comma; Dr Paul Unongo&comma; shortly before the commencement of the routine Wednesday’s FEC meeting at the Council Chambers of the State House&comma; Abuja&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Speaking in Abuja on Monday&comma; a former presidential aspirant in the 2019 elections&comma; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;punchng&period;com&sol;">Udoka Charles Udeogaranya&comma;<&sol;a> urged Northern Elders Forum and the entire Northern Nigeria to respect the wishes of the departed elder statesman by backing the Labour Party presidential candidate&comma; Peter Obi&comma; in succeeding the President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Udoka Udeogaranya pointed out during his life time&comma; Paul Unongo was concerned about Nigerian President of eastern extraction and therefore urged the northerners to support Labour Party candidate and former Anambra State governor&comma; Peter Obi&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;He argued that by supporting the former Anambra State governor&comma; Northerners would ensure the wish of the late former Minister of Steel Development&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Udeogaranya’s statement reads&comma; <strong><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The Northern Elders Forum and entire Northern Nigeria should honour and heed the wise counsel and wish of the recently departed soul of Wantaregh Paul Unongo&comma; OFR&period;<&sol;em><&sol;strong><br &sol;>&NewLine;<strong><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;No Nigerian who is sincere to himself or herself can be in denial that the Igbos who Nigeria has denied presidency for over fifty years&comma; should not produce the next president of Nigeria in 2023&semi; a singular action that will unite Nigeria and build inclusiveness for Nigeria to move forward&period;<&sol;em><&sol;strong><br &sol;>&NewLine;<strong><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Nigerians in general and particularly the good people of Northern Nigeria must put all hands on deck and ensure that Mr Peter Obi&comma; presidential candidate of Labour Party and as well&comma; the best candidate on all numerous fronts&comma; emerge victorious on the 2023 presidential election for the common good of all the people of Nigeria&period;”<&sol;em><&sol;strong><br &sol;>&NewLine;While commiserating with the family of Unongo and the entire people of Northern Nigeria&comma; Udeogaranya prayed to God to grant the soul of the departed eternal life and reunite Northern and Southern Nigerians as brothers in one accord&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Born on September 26&comma; 1935 in Turan&comma; Kwande Local Government Area of Benue state&comma; Wantaregh Unongo a humanist was the pioneer Secretary General of the defunct Nigerian People’s Party&comma; NPP&comma; and an ally of the late Dr&period; Nnamdi Azikiwe&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;He was also a member of the constitution review committee under Sani Abacha&comma; former military head of state&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;