Senator Ofia Nwali is dead

Dr. Ofia Nwali, a senator who represented Abakaliki Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Lagos in the second republic is dead. The former lawmaker died in the early hours of Monday, May 23 at the age of 74, in his country home Ameka, Ezza south local government area of Ebonyi state, after a brief illness, The Sun reports. His remains have been deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FETHA) mortuary, Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital. According to Governor David Umahi, who cancelled his official engagement in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, to commiserate with the ex-lawmaker’s family, “Senator Nwali death is a national loss.”

He said: “The late senator Nwali is a foremost Nigerian, a great scientist and man who was highly principled and disciplined. We prayed God grant his soul eternal rest. “The news of the death of our dear father came to me as a great shock because he was a man who had every reason to live for us. His life was full of mysteries and he was one of the few founding fathers of this state who stood for the truth and justice. Ebonyi state government and indeed Nigeria at large has lost a great mind, a colossus and a computer wizard and we pray God to accept his soul.”

Governor Umahi who was accompanied by Prof Ben Odoh, the secretary to the state government, and some top government officials urged Senator Nwali’s children to immortalize their late father by living just and upholding all the good virtues he had while alive. He also assured the family of state government’s assistance. Speaking shortly after, the late Ofia Nwali’s son, Oguzor Nwali said his father “was a great man whose love for the unity of the Igbo race and Nigeria in general knew no bounds and said the family and Nigeria in general had lost a great hero and patriot.”

Senator Dr. Ofia Nwali was the first black man to obtain a PhD in computer and analytical studies from the prestigious Harvard University, United States of America, USA. He is a community leader, researcher and the chief of Ameka, a small town in Ebonyi state. He was educated at Brown University and Harvard (Phd, 1966). He then worked with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research before returning to Nigeria after the civil war. He worked with the East Central Data Processing Centre and was later elected a senator of the Nigerian republic in 1979.

He represented Abakaliki Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Lagos between 1979-1983 and was the first person to submit a written request for the creation of Ebonyi state on October 10, 1979 to the then National Assembly, Tafawa Balewa square, Lagos state.