President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has sent a message of condolence to Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru’s wife, children, other relatives, friends, associates, former colleagues and staff of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the death of Nigeria’s former foreign affairs minister.

Ambassador Ashiru died yesterday after a protracted illness in a South African hospital.

Ambassador Ashiru(1948-2014)

Jonathan, under whom Ashiru served a s foreign minister, described Ashiru as an exemplary diplomat who gave the most productive years of his adult life to the patriotic service of his nation.

The President said Ashiru will be long remembered and honoured as one of the very elite few, who after a long and very distinguished career as a Foreign Service Officer in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was recalled from retirement to serve as Minister and political head of the same ministry in recognition of his widely acknowledged leadership qualities and diplomatic skills.

Nigeria, President Jonathan said will always owe the late Minister a huge debt of gratitude for his notable contributions, over many years, to the establishment of mutually-beneficial relationships with other countries where he served as diplomat and ambassador, and for the country’s many diplomatic successes in the international arena during his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, has also expressed shock over the death of Ambassador Ashiru.

Ashiru with US secretary of State, John Kerry on 25 April 2013

Governor Orji’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Ajunwa, described Ambassador Ashiru’s demise as a big loss to the country.

The Governor who described late Ashiru as a consummate diplomat, said Nigeria has lost an outspoken career diplomat whose contributions to national development and diplomacy were very outstanding.

He extolled late Ambassador Ashiru for laying the needed groundwork which saw Nigeria being elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations security seat in 2013.

According to him, the former Foreign Affairs Minister played a key role in the diplomatic face-off between Nigeria and South Africa in 2012 over the deportation of 125 Nigerians for not possessing valid yellow fever vaccination certificates. Both countries later resolved their differences.

The Governor consoled members of his immediate family, state, the country and all those affected directly or indirectly by his death to take solace in the fact that he died a committed Christian.

Ashiru was appointed foreign minister in 2011. He served for 2 years and was dropped in a cabinet reshuffle by Jonathan in 2013.