Abia Goes Into a Blast, Over Onyema Ogbuagu, COVID-19 Vaccine Founder

By Uche Nwosu

It has been a blast, a frenzy of some kind, a wild celebration in Abia State since the weekend when the news broke that an Abia son, Dr Onyema Ogbuagu is in the centre of the Pfizer-led research, development and trials that have culminated in a breakthrough for COVID-19 vaccines.

Onyema, a medical doctor of repute, is the twin son of former Vice Chancellor, Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), Professor Chibuzor Ogbuagu and wife, Professor Stella Ogbuagu who, herself was at one time, a Deputy Vice chancellor of the same university.

The Ogbuagus hail from Umukabia, Ohuhu, Umuahia North, the marital home of a renowned economist and World trade Organization (WTO) Director General Nominee, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

An Associate Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease Specialist at Yale School of Medicine, Onyema called to tell

some of his friends in Abia State that it was a rigorous research exercise that made him to commit all his time and resources to achieve the feat.

Ogbuagu graduated in 2003 from the University of Calabar, Cross River State where his father worked as a lecturer before transferring his services to ABSU later in 1990s.

Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu praised the ingenuity of Onyema Ogbuagu and described him as a shinning example and good Ambassador of the state, pointing out that he has shone like a million stars and shown the first-class stuff Abia State is made off.

 The Abia chief executive in a tweet assured the international community that Abia would continue to give quality personnel found all over the state.

A human rights activist, Dr Charles Chinekezi hailed Dr Ogbuagu for being a leading light to contain the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in Wuhan, China last year. “It’s gratifying that a Nigerian, an Igbo nay Abia will be the man to lead the team that will contain a deadly disease that started in faraway China in 2019 and killed millions”.