Tributes pour in as Vanguard’s Chioma Onuegbu passes on

The Akwa Ibom State correspondent of Vanguard Newspaper, Chioma Onuegbu, has passed away.

The Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, confirmed her death in a statement on Tuesday. The statement, signed by the chapel’s secretary, Udeme Utip, expressed deep sorrow over her passing, though it did not specify the cause or time of death.

Onuegbu, who practised journalism in Akwa Ibom for several years, hailed from Akwuli Okwu in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.

According to the funeral programme released by her family, an evening of tributes will be held on Wednesday at the Correspondents’ Chapel Office, 13 Asutan Street, Uyo. A Service of Songs will follow on Thursday at 4 p.m., while a Requiem Mass is scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church Parish, Okwu Ikeduru. Interment will take place at her family compound immediately after the Mass. An Outing and Thanksgiving Mass will then be held on Sunday at the same venue.

The Chairperson of NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, Nsibiet John, said he would lead a delegation of journalists to the burial. Speaking at a Solemn Assembly and Congress at the NUJ Press Centre, Uyo, Mr John described the late correspondent as a “dedicated and seasoned journalist who consistently upheld professionalism in her reportage.”

He also led colleagues in observing a minute of silence in her honour and prayed for the repose of her soul.