Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has felicitated the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on her birthday, describing her as “a woman of strong will and courage.”
Mr Otti’s felicitation was contained in a message issued on Wednesday by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the special adviser on media and publicity to the governor.
The minister is the widow of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, a Nigerian military leader who headed the secessionist state of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War. She is 57.
She was the Nigerian ambassador to Spain before she was appointed foreign affairs minister in April by President Bola Tinubu.
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“On a day like this, I feel excited to celebrate my sister and friend, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on the occasion of her birthday,” Mr Otti says of Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu in the birthday message.
“She is a woman of strong will and courage. An Amazon from the East who has distinguished herself in many facets and continues to prove that, with courage and character, nothing is too big for any human being to accomplish.”
The governor, who referenced Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s support for him right from when he unsuccessfully contested for the Abia governorship under the All Progressives Grand Alliance platform, described the minister as “an honest, just, and courageous Nigerian who has represented womanhood diligently and positively.”
He said Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu has already recorded outstanding and commendable successes since her appointment as a minister, and added that she is a huge asset to the Igbo Nation, Nigeria, and humanity.
He urged her to continue to uphold the virtues and character that have “distinguished her and made her an admirable amazon”.
Governor Otti assured Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu of his continued support and wished her a happy birthday anniversary on behalf of his family, the government, and the people of Abia State. He prayed for the minister to live long and in good health.
The minister, then a young woman, was crowned Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 1988.