Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and trailblazing diplomat, Professor Joy Uche Angela Ogwu, has died at the age of 79.
Family sources confirmed that Prof. Ogwu passed away early Monday at a hospital in New York, United States, with her daughter by her side, according to The New Diplomat.
Born on August 22, 1946, in Delta State, Ogwu’s death marks the end of an era in Nigerian diplomacy. She made history as Nigeria’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations, serving from 2008 to 2017, and was also Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 2006 to May 2007 under President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Before entering public service, she was a respected scholar and the first female Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), where she reshaped national discourse on foreign policy and Nigeria’s global posture.
A lifetime of global service and scholarship
A graduate of Rutgers University, New Jersey, Ogwu earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science, before obtaining a Ph.D. from the University of Lagos in 1977.
At NIIA, she became a leading authority on international relations, disarmament, and South-South cooperation, championing deeper ties between Africa and Latin America.
Her diplomatic career stood out for excellence and honour. She represented Nigeria with distinction at the UN, twice presiding over the UN Security Council in July 2010 and October 2011.
She also served as President of the Executive Board of UN Women and chaired the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
Beyond her official duties, Ogwu was a lifelong advocate for women’s empowerment, human rights, and education.
She worked with UNESCO on human rights education in Nigerian schools and served on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
A prolific academic, she authored Nigerian Foreign Policy: Alternative Futures (1986) and contributed significantly to global scholarship on peace, diplomacy, and Nigeria’s foreign relations.
Tributes pour in from across Nigeria
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi described Ogwu as “a cosmopolitan and an unassuming trailblazer.”
In a tribute posted on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “I have received with profound sadness the news of the passing of a dear elder sister, Prof. U. Joy Ogwu… She was the first Nigerian woman to serve as Foreign Minister, the first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and the first Nigerian woman to preside over the UN Security Council.”
Obi hailed her as “a renowned academic, a voice for women’s rights, and a pillar of integrity in global diplomacy,” adding that her death was “a great loss to her family, Delta State, and the entire nation.”
Prof. Ogwu’s legacy as a diplomat, scholar, and advocate endures — a symbol of intellect, grace, and patriotism that inspired generations of Nigerian women to pursue leadership and global relevance.
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