Tinubu, Obi Mourn Ambassador Joy Ogwu
President Bola Tinubu has mourned Ambassador Joy Ogwu, a renowned diplomat and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who died aged 79.
Ogwu, who passed away early Monday at a hospital in New York, served as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from May 2008 to May 2017.
She was the first woman to hold the position.
She also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 2006 to May 2007 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Ogwu also served as Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).
Born on August 22, 1946, in Delta State, she was a graduate of Rutgers University in New Jersey with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Lagos obtained in 1977.
Advertisement
During her tenure at the United Nations, Ogwu presided over the UN Security Council twice in July 2010 and October 2011.
She also served as President of the Executive Board of UN Women and chaired the board of trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). She was on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
President Tinubu commended the late Ambassador for her contributions to global peace and security, saying “Nigeria has lost a trailblazer who rose to the highest level of her vocation through excellence and hard work.”
He extended his condolences to Ogwu’s five children, grandchildren, sisters and brothers, the entire Ogwu family, and the diplomatic and academic community.
The 2023 Labour Party presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, also paid tribute to the late diplomat, describing her as “a cosmopolitan” and “an unassuming trailblazer and lady of firsts.”
Advertisement
Quoting Obi, “An unassuming trailblazer and lady of firsts, she was the first female Director-General of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA); the first Nigerian female Foreign Minister in 2006; the first female Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, in 2008, and in that vein, the first Nigerian female to preside over the UN Security Council (in July 2010 and in October 2011).
“A renowned academic and researcher, she is the author of several books on foreign policy, disarmament, and the United Nations. Prof. Ogwu was an expert on security and disarmament issues and a strong advocate for women’s development and human rights.
“Her demise is a great loss to her family, those close to her, Delta State and Nigeria. In consoling those she left behind, I pray that God will grant her family, and all of us the fortitude to bear this huge loss and grant her soul peaceful repose.”
