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The Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo has joined other Nigerians in mourning the death of a second republic minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Paul Unongu, lamenting that Nigeria would have become an industrial giant today if Unongo’s dreams for the country were realised.
The SDP presidential candidate who took to his verified twitter handle said, “I mourn elder Statesman, Wantaregh, Paul Iyorpuu Unongo who has died in Jos.
“This scion of Kwaghngise-Anure-Abera ancestry of Turan, Kwande LGA of Benue State did all he could to industrialise Nigeria and unify our people.I saw him days back and I knew days left were few. Adieu.”
On his recent encounter with the late statesman, Prince Adebayo said “All efforts I made to get Baba to talk were only met with humming of heavenly songs and soft smiles of an undefeated, unrelenting energetic spirit trapped in an ailing mortal body.
“If the dreams of Paul Unongo had come to pass, Nigeria would have been today, an industrial giant.
“I managed to assure Baba that we had not dropped the baton and the race continues despite headwinds and distracted leadership in today’s Nigeria.
“Wherever we choose to bury Paul Unongo, Ajaokuta Steel Complex would always be his cenotaph. And the burial ground of our steely dreams”, he lamented.
Until his death, the late Unongo was chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
He succeeded late Alhaji Maitama Sule as the chairman of the Northern Elders’ Forum in 2017.
But he resigned in January 2018 barely two weeks after threatening to raise an army against the killer herdsmen ravaging Benue State communities.
