13 Oct 2025

A trailblazer Exits. I have received with profound sadness the news of the passing of a dear elder sister, Prof. U. Joy Ogwu, Nigeria's former foreign minister, as well as former permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. Prof. Ogwu was a cosmopolitan. An unassuming trailblazer and lady of firsts, she was the first female Director-General of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA); the first Nigerian female Foreign Minister in 2006; the first female Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, in 2008, and in that vein, the first Nigerian female to preside over the UN Security Council (in July 2010 and in October 2011). A renowned academic and researcher, she is the author of several books on foreign policy, disarmament, and the United Nations. Prof. Ogwu was an expert on security and disarmament issues and a strong advocate for women's development and human rights. Her demise is a great loss to her family, those close to her, Delta State and Nigeria. In consoling those she left behind, I pray that God will grant her family, and all of us the fortitude to bear this huge loss and grant her soul peaceful repose. -PO