Delta Born Unusual Christian Former Military Governor Of Kano State Dominic Oneya, Has Died



The Oasis Reporters
August 6, 2021

A press release issued by Abubakar Aminu Ibrahim, media aide to Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, announced the death of Brigadier General Dominic Oneya on Thursday.
Oneya, aged 73, was military governor of Kano State from August 1996 to August 1998 during the regime of Sani Abacha.
Brigadier Oneya, a Christian was the brigade commander of the Nigerian Army in Kano, a state with a predominantly Muslim population. With General Sani Abacha as the military head of state, he crowned Oneya, a practising Christian as the military governor.
It is to the credit of the late Brigadier General that he distinguished himself by providing critical infrastructure like mass transit buses ( all emblazoned with, “In honour of Dominic Oneya, military governor of Kano State”.
He also tackled road infrastructure, Rice production and many other interventionist schemes that helped to endear the governor to the hearts of citizens despite being a Christian and staying for only one year.
It was also during his tenure that General Sani Abacha died in office, thus making him the chief mourner in Abacha’s home state.
It is expected that Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje would actively support the burial of Oneya in Urhobo land of Delta state to showcase the broadmindedness of his northern state as friends of Delta, a predominantly Christian state in Nigeria’s South south.
In another development, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has also mourned the death of retired Brigadier-General Dominic Oneya who was moved from Kano state to govern the middle belt state of Benue by late General Abacha’s successor, General Abdulsalam Abubakar.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom, Terver Akase, in a statement on Thursday described the death of General Oneya as a great loss to Nigeria and Benue State.
He said the footprints of the deceased as a one-time administrator of the state remains indelible, particularly as one who handed over power to a democratically elected Governor in 1999.
Ortom sympathized with the Oneya family, the government and people of Delta State over the death of their illustrious son and prays God to grant his soul eternal rest.
Brigadier-General Dominic Oneya was the Military Administrator of Benue State from August 1998 to May 1999.
Besides having governed two states as a military officer, he also was a former president of the then-Nigeria Football Association (NFA).




