A former military governor of the South-Eastern State – Akwa Ibom and Cross River States – Major General Paul Omu is dead.
Omu died at the age of 84 on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, his family said in a statement released on Wednesday, April 30.
The statement signed by Oghenekome Omu on behalf of the family said the late General, a native of Igbide community, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State served Nigeria and his community in various capacities.
“Major-General Paul Ufuoma Omu was a family man, patriot, statesman, soldier, and community leader whose life was marked by unwavering commitment to the service of Nigeria and his beloved Isoko Nation,” the statement said.
Omu served as the military governor of the then South-Eastern State from July 1975 to July 1978 when he implemented the construction and rehabilitation of core infrastructure in the state. He also laid the foundation for various reforms in the state.
“In 1985, General Omu was appointed Commander Command and Staff College and a member of the Armed Forces Ruling Council, the highest ruling body in Nigeria.
“In the political landscape, General Omu played a key role in Nigeria’s transition to democracy. He was appointed Chairman of the Constitutional Conference Commission in 1994, helping shape the constitutional discourse that would influence Nigeria’s return to civil rule. His leadership, insight, and patriotism earned him national respect and admiration,” the statement added.
He was appointed as the chairman of a 10-man governing board of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) by former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in September 2009.
Survived by his wife Senator Chief (Mrs) Stella Omu, six children, siblings and numerous grandchildren and relatives, the former Military governor was the president of the Isoko Development Union (IDU) between 2014 to 2015.