Nigeria Mourns as Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Joy Ogwu Passes Away at 79

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. Joy Uche Angela Ogwu died at the age of 79.

She passed away in the early hours of Monday at a hospital in New York, USA, with her daughter by her side, according to family members who talked to the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

Ogwu, who was born in Delta State on August 22, 1946, was a distinguished academic and diplomat whose work included international diplomacy, policy research, and academics.

She was President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Foreign Affairs Minister for Nigeria from August 2006 to May 2007.

She became the first Nigerian woman to serve as the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN when she was appointed in 2008 and remained in that role until 2017.

Prior to being appointed as a minister, Ogwu was the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), where she gained international renown for her knowledge of Nigerian foreign policy, disarmament, and international relations.

Professor Ogwu’s outstanding career put her at the forefront of influencing how Nigeria interacts with the world.

Outside of her official positions, she was a strong supporter of human rights, education, and women’s empowerment. She participated in UNESCO-funded initiatives that supported human rights education in Nigerian schools and was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.