Former Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and one-time Minister of Steel Development in the Second Republic, Paul Unongo has died at the age of 87.

Unongo, who hailed from Jato Aka in the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, died in Jos, the Plateau State capital on Tuesday.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday mourned the demise of Dr  Unongo, saying that the country has lost an elder statesman.

The president made the pronouncement in a condolence message issued by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja.

Unongo, who held several political positions and was involved in Constitutional conferences, was, until his death, Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council.

In his tribute, Buhari acknowledged the close relationship he had with the deceased, stating that “in all the positions he held as a politician and public officer, he displayed a high level of decorum.

“He was a colossus in public life, very articulate and witty. He served his community and the nation well.

“My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and the government and people of Benue,’’ Shehu quoted the president as saying.

Unongo had aspired to govern Benue in 1983 but lost to Mr. Aper Aku also of blessed memory.

In 2017, Unongo succeeded late Alhaji Maitama Sule as the chairman of the Northern Elders Forum.