Sir Rex Onyeabo, a former national secretary for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has died at the age of 80, according to his family. In a statement released Thursday in Enugu, his son, Dr. Obiora Onyeabo, said as much. He claims that the former PDP leader died quietly on August 7.
“With heavy hearts but gratitude to God for a life well spent, the Onyeabo Family of Enugu State announces the passing of our Patriarch and Statesman, Chief (Sir) Rex Chuma Onyeabo (KSM).
“He is the Eze-Ugo 1 of Abuja Igbo Community, Onwa na-etili Ora 1 of Ugbawka, Ijele 1 na Akaegbe-Ugwu and Ada-Idaha of Efik Kingdom.
“Chief Rex Onyeabo is a founding member of PDP and served as its National Secretary in 1999 as well as the PDP’s Board of Trustees until death.
“Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course by the family”
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in the United States with a degree in engineering, Onyeabor dedicated himself to public service in Nigeria. He held a number of positions at the federal and state levels, including chairman of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital’s governing council and deputy chairman of the Federal Capital Development Authority’s governing board.
Others include the permanent secretary of the Enugu State Ministry of Works, Housing, and Transportation, the chairman of Nike Lake Resort Hotels Enugu, and the chairman of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
He also held the positions of chairman of the Institute of Directors in Abuja for Information and Culture and the Local Government Services Commission.
Onyeabo was an active member of the Catholic communities in Abuja and Enugu, ran a number of prosperous businesses, and belonged to the Noble Order of Knights of St. Mulumba.
