Joy Ogwu dies at 79
Professor Joy Uche Angela Ogwu, a distinguished Nigerian diplomat, academic, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, has died at the age of 79. She passed away on October 13, 2025, in a hospital in New York, United States, with her daughter by her side.
Joy Ogwu was born on 22 August 1946. Her remarkable career included serving as Nigeria’s Foreign Minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo from August 2006 to May 2007. She later became Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, holding the role from May 2008 to May 2017. In that capacity, she twice presided over the UN Security Council—first in July 2010 and again in October 2011.
Before her extensive diplomatic service, Ogwu was Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), where she played a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s foreign policy and international relations scholarship. Her work included advocacy for global peace, disarmament, international security, and the advancement of women’s rights.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu mourned her death as a great loss to the nation. In his tribute, he praised her for projecting Nigeria’s voice with clarity and purpose, and for her dedication to both scholarship and diplomacy. He offered deep condolences to her family—her five children, grandchildren, siblings—and to the wider academic and diplomatic communities.
Her passing is being felt deeply across Nigeria’s academic, diplomatic, and political spheres, with many recognizing her as a trailblazer who rose to the top of her vocation through excellence, hard work, and integrity.
