The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and one of his predecessors, David Mark, have mourned the death of former minister of Steel Development, Paul Unongo.
Paul Unongo died on Tuesday at the age of 87.
In seperate statements in Abuja, Wednesday, Lawan and Mark described the late Unongo as a patriotic Nigerian and committed Nationalist.
Lawan in his statement said, “The former Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, Paul Unongo was an elderstatesman and a committed nationalist both in words and in deed.
“He was a principled and irrepressible politician, who had clear positions on national issues and was outspoken on what he believed in through his political life.
“The former minister of Steel Development will be remembered for his contributions to good governance and political development of Nigeria” .
David Mark in his condolence message, recalled the role of Pa Unongo in the political evolution of Nigeria as the pioneer National Secretary of Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) led by the first Nigerian President Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe otherwise called the Zikist movement.
“As a minister of the Federal Republic, Pa Unongo demonstrated enormous capacity in leadership and contributed to the socio- political and economic development of Nigeria.
“Pa Unongo was a leader without boundaries because he took the entire country as his constituency.
“We shall miss his political sagacity, oratory prowess , frank and Patriotic disposition to national issues. He called a spade its rightful name no matter whose ox was gored.
“He was an emancipator of sort because he stood for the oppressed and the down trodden”, he said.
He therefore, enjoined the government and people of Benue State to take solace in the fact that Pa Unongo left good legacies and positive footprints in the sand of time.
