The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, have paid tribute to Channels TV’s State House Correspondent, Mr Chukuma Onuekwusi, who died on Tuesday morning.
The Senate leaders paid tribute to the broadcast journalist in separate statements after receiving news of his death.
Dr Saraki, who said he was shocked when he received the news of Mr Onuekwusi’s death, hailed his contribution to journalism, describing him as a hardworking, passionate and conscientious reporter who left nobody in doubt about his professional competence.
“The news of the demise of Chukwuma Onuekwusi came to me with great shock. He was a thoroughbred broadcast journalist whose reports always leave you wanting more,” the Senate President said in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja.
Dr Saraki also commiserated with Mr Onuekwusi’s immediate family, the management and staff of Channels Television and the State House Correspondents over his passing.
He added, “I believe his death has left a vacuum in the broadcast industry that cannot easily be filled. We can only thank God for his eventful life, contributions to national development and service to humanity. He shall be sorely missed,” he said.
The Senate President prayed that God should grant the soul of the Mr Onuekwusi eternal rest, and called on other broadcast journalists to learn from his humility, dynamism, and dedication to his job.
Ekweremadu said in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Uche Anichukwu that Mr Onuekwusi’s death was a huge loss, not only for Channels Television but for the media industry and the nation.
He said, “I received with pain and a deep sense of loss the news of the passing on of Mr Onuekwusi. He was a thoroughbred journalist, who brought a high sense of professionalism to bear on his work. He made Channels Television reports on the Presidency authoritative and delightful for millions of Nigerians, including me.
“It is sad that he was cut down by death at the prime of his career when he still had so much to offer the nation and her democracy. But he certainly left indelible marks on the sands of time.”
Mr Onuekwusi died aged 55 at a private hospital in Abuja in the early hours of today.
An excellent reporter who joined Channels Television in 1998, he showed great passion for his job and covered several beats for Channels Television before he was seconded to cover the Presidential Villa as the State House correspondent.
He is survived by his wife and children.
