Prof. Joy Uche Angela Ogwu, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, died at the age of 79.
According to family members who talked to the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), she passed away early on Monday in a hospital in New York, USA, while her daughter was by her side.
Ogwu was a distinguished academic and diplomat who worked in academics, policy research, and foreign diplomacy. He was born in Delta State on August 22, 1946.
Under President Olusegun Obasanjo, she was Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister from August 2006 until May 2007.
She became the first Nigerian woman to hold the position when she was named Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN in 2008 and remained there till 2017.
Ogwu gained international renown for her proficiency in international relations, disarmament, and Nigerian foreign policy while serving as the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) prior to being appointed as a minister.
Because of her extraordinary career, Prof. Ogwu has been instrumental in influencing Nigeria’s interactions with the world.
She was a strong supporter of human rights, education, and women’s empowerment outside of her professional positions. She was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and made contributions to UNESCO-funded initiatives that supported human rights teaching in Nigerian schools.
