Prof Francis Gordon Idon Omiunu

In loving memory of Professor FGI Omiunu, forever cherished, deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

Obituary

With deep sadness, but gratitude to God for a life well spent, we announce the passing of Professor Francis Gordon Idon Omiunu on 25 May 2026. Professor Francis Gordon Idon Omiunu was born on 7 July 1943 at Oke Old Site, Ora, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

A gifted student from an early age, Professor FGI Omiunu pursued his education with determination and distinction. After his early schooling in Ora, Sabongida-Ora, Benin and Owo, he graduated from the University of Ife with a B.A. Honours degree in Geography in 1971. He later obtained an M.A. in Transport Geography from York University, Toronto, Canada, and a PhD in Geography from the University of Benin.

Professor FGI Omiunu’s life was defined by teaching, scholarship and service. His career began in the classroom, and over more than five decades, he taught at the primary, secondary, military, and university levels. He served at the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Nigerian Military School before joining the University of Benin in 1978, where he rose to the rank of Professor of Geography and Regional Planning in 1992. He taught and mentored generations of students, supervised numerous postgraduate theses, published widely, and earned international recognition as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (London).

He was also a man of deep faith, a devoted husband to Professor Stella Ebun Omiunu, a loving father, grandfather, brother, uncle, teacher and community figure. He served his church faithfully and remained closely connected to his home community of Ora.
Above all, Professor FGI Omiunu’s life was a life of labour, discipline, learning and service. His influence continues in his family, his students, his colleagues, his community, and in all those whose lives were touched by the knowledge he gave, the values he modelled, and the example he left behind. 

A Cross Section of Prof Omiunu's Favourite Quotes

Professor Omiunu was an avid reader who delighted in sharing words of wisdom that reflected his philosophy of life, his reverence for learning, and his belief in discipline, service and hard work. We are pleased to share a cross-section of some of his favourite quotations.
“Reverence for parents stands written among the three laws of most revered righteousness.”
— Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.)
“What is the prime of life? May it not be defined as a period of about twenty years in a woman’s life, and thirty years in a man’s?”
— Plato (428–348 B.C.)
“Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work.”
— Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 B.C.)
“A hard beginning maketh a good ending.”
— John Heywood (1497–c. 1580)
“Evolution is change from an indefinite and incoherent homogeneity to a definite and coherent heterogeneity.”
— Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)
“The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.”
— Senator John F. Kennedy (1956)
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
— Theodore Roosevelt
“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
— Albert Pike (attribution unverified)
“Be a craftsman in speech that thou mayest be strong, for the strength of one is the tongue, and speech is mightier than all fighting.”
— Ptahhotep (3400 B.C.)

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