A former minister of petroleum, Professor Tamunoemi David-West is dead.

David-West, born in Buguma, Kalabari, in what is now Rivers State, died on Monday, at age 83.

He received his higher education at the University of Ibadan (1956–1958) and earned a BSc degree at Michigan State University (1958–1960), an MSc degree at Yale University (1960–1962), and a PhD degree at McGill University.

He served in the Nigerian government as commissioner of education and a member of the Executive Council of Rivers State between 1975 and 1979.

He was also a member of the 50-man Constitution Drafting Committee set up by the Federal Military Government of General Murtala Muhammed in 1979.

He was a federal minister of petroleum and energy under General Muhammadu Buhari’s military government between 1984 and 1985, and as minister of mines, power, and steel under General Ibrahim Babangida in 1986.

He was eventually removed as minister and arrested by the Babangida regime for allegedly contributing to the economic adversity of the country; He was discharged and acquitted of these charges by Nigeria’s Special Appeal Court on 8 August 1991.

David-West wrote many books and was a social critic who spoke strongly on national issues.