From David Eze, Abakaliki
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has mourned the death of an academic trailblazer, Professor Francis Ogbonnia Otunta.
Prof Otunta a renowned statistician died in a ghastly motor accident along Akpoha- Abakaliki Highway on Monday.
The governor in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Francis Nwaze in Abakaliki explained that Professor Otunta was a scholar of immense erudition.
He noted that his academic and human resource legacies in Akanu Ibiam Federal Political Unwana, Afikpo where he served as the institution’s Rector for 8 years and the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Abia State where he also served as the 5th Vice Chancellor whose term ended on February, 2021 cannot be erased.
Governor Umahi while consoling the family of the late Professor, Ndibe Community, Afikpo, acknowledged that Ebonyi State has lost an academic giant whose intellectual stamina is unrivalled.
He urged all those affected to be strong in this trying time while praying God to grant the soul of the departed, a peaceful rest.