President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Joy Uche Angela Ogwu, who passed away at 79.
Ambassador Ogwu served as Nigeria’s envoy to the United Nations between May 2008 and May 2017, during which she twice presided over the UN Security Council — in July 2010 and October 2011.
Before her diplomatic posting, she was Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), where she played a key role in shaping the country’s foreign policy and advancing scholarship in international relations.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu described Ogwu as “a trailblazer who rose to the highest level of her vocation through excellence and hard work.”
He praised her for promoting Nigeria’s interests on the global stage and for her commitment to peace, disarmament, international security, and women’s rights. “She projected Nigeria’s voice with clarity and purpose,” the President said.
Tinubu extended condolences to her five children, grandchildren, siblings, and the wider Ogwu family, as well as to the diplomatic and academic communities mourning her passing.
“Nigeria has lost a distinguished diplomat and scholar whose life was defined by service and integrity,” he added, praying for the repose of her soul and comfort for her loved ones.
Ambassador Ogwu’s career spanned academia and diplomacy, earning her national and international recognition for her work in global peace and development. Her leadership at both the NIIA and the United Nations remains widely regarded as a model of professionalism and commitment to Nigeria’s global engagement.
By Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy
October 14, 2025
