Tinubu, Obasanjo, Atiku Mourn As Audu Ogbeh Dies At 78

Elder statesman Chief Audu Ogbeh passed away at the age of 78 on Saturday.

He was among an elite list of personalities who served as Nigerian ministers in two dispensations.

He also belonged to the class of lecturers who entered politics, which perhaps made him a constant fixture in Nigeria’s politics.

As a politician, he served at the zenith of party leadership, becoming the national chairman of the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its behemoth yet rancorous years. He later became the national chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), cementing his place as an elder statesman.

 

His Early Years

Born on July 28, 1947, his father was a steward to a colonial district officer in Otukpo, called Captain Monie. His mother had lost three boys before he was born. He grew up in a humble home in Otukpo. From a young age, he followed his father to the farm to help him make fire to roast yams or corn. He attended St Francis Primary School, Otukpo, and in 1961, wrote the entrance examination for St Michael Secondary School, Aliede. Cardinal Onaiyekan was six years his senior. Ogbeh later attended King’s College, Lagos, for high school between 1967 and 1968.

Ogbeh was among 19 students selected by a system set up by the late Sardauna of Sokoto, which ensured that very bright students were picked from schools in the North for scholarships. He attained his Higher School Certificate (HSC), serving as house prefect and later house captain. He later gained admission into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in 1969 to study French. He chose to study French because he liked languages, Ogbeh told Daily Trust in one of his last interviews. He also revealed that he scored well in Latin in secondary school. “Latin, French, Literature, and History were my strong points. I was hopeless in the sciences.”

 

Traveling Abroad

He was again selected for an academic trip to Dakar, Senegal, from ABU, in a scheme that picked students from different universities – Ife, Nsukka, ABU, and Ibadan – to study abroad. They spent a year there. In Dakar, the Nigerian embassy asked him to present the address of welcome to the then Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, on behalf of the Nigerian community.

 

From Diplomacy to Lecturing

After school, Ogbeh wanted to be a diplomat. In 1972, he was interviewed and was asked to prepare to go to the United Nations. Ambassador Edwin Ogbu, who represented Nigeria, wanted Ogbeh to become his PA or something.

But Ogbeh changed his mind. With the Naira stronger than the dollar at the time, he opted to stay back and help his younger brothers and sisters through school. So, he stayed back in Zaria as a lecturer, forfeiting his dream of being a diplomat. He was posted to the Institute of Education (ABU), where he trained teachers who were also teaching French.

 

Returning to Benue

He later moved to the Murtala College of Arts, Science, and Technology in Benue State as acting head of the Department of Languages, Arts, and Social Sciences.

 

The Farmer-Lecturer Turned Politician

In Benue, he started farming even as a young lecturer. Before long, politics came calling. He contested to serve as a member of the House of Assembly and won on his first try. He was in the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), the dominant party in the state. He contested for the speakership but eventually got elected as deputy speaker until 1982.

 

Shagari’s Minister at 35

Ogbeh, as deputy speaker, caught the eye of the state governor, Aper Aku, who recommended him to be a minister in the Shehu Shagari-led federal government. He recounted that Shagari didn’t know him before the appointment. Ogbeh became Minister of Communication at age 35, working with former APC national chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as the then permanent secretary.

 

From Minister to Kirikiri

Ogbeh was among the ministers sent to the famous Kirikiri Prison when the military struck in 1983. He was, however, among the earliest to be released. “We came back home and started life afresh. It wasn’t easy. It is believed that as a minister, you were soiled to a point and you would constitute a political problem for the vice chancellor,” he recalled.

 

Life After Prison and Obasanjo’s Friendship

He returned to farming and was probably the first private Nigerian to produce rice free of stones. Through farming, he built a friendship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

 

Assassination attempt, return to politics

In 1998, Ogbeh survived an assassination attempt. He was shot at, and his eye was affected. He said he was targeted because of “local politics,” while noting that he eventually confronted the person who sent the gang.

Meanwhile, as the race for democratic rule kicked in, former Vice President Alex Ekwueme asked Ogbeh to work on his campaign to become the presidential candidate of the PDP.

 

PDP chairman exit and how he saved Obasanjo’s second term bid

Obasanjo, having emerged as president of Nigeria, sought Ogbeh to become PDP chairman. As PDP chairman, Ogbeh recalled defending Obasanjo when 15 governors ganged up against him, saying they would not support him for a second term.

The governors were backing Atiku Abubakar, Obasanjo’s deputy. However, his relationship with Obasanjo didn’t last. He severed ties with the former president and resigned as national chairman of the PDP.

Explaining why he left, Ogbeh said in a Daily Trust interview published yesterday, “I didn’t like what happened in Anambra with Chris Ngige. An AIG was brought in from Imo to Anambra to force Ngige to resign. That was not democracy. I didn’t like those things, and I tried to tell him (Obasanjo) that in a democracy, you couldn’t do this.”

He, however, dispelled the widely held view that he resigned as PDP chairman at gunpoint, even though he admitted that they disagreed and the former president spoke to him in a manner he didn’t like.

 

Buhari’s minister at 68:

President Buhari nominated Ogbeh as Minister of Agriculture in 2015. The appointment attracted criticism largely because of his age. But justifying his time in office, Ogbeh said that in 2018, Nigeria became Africa’s number one rice producer, taking over from Egypt. He also decried the negative attitude toward an initiative to import grass to encourage ranching, as opposed to roaming cattle around.

Agriculture Stakeholders Laud Ogbeh’s Legacies

Some agriculture stakeholders have lauded the legacy of the late  ex-minister of agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbeh, who died in the early hours of yesterday.

The stakeholders lauded the late ex-minister’s achievements in the sector in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

The chairman, Lagos and Southwest of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr Femi Oke, commended the policies carried out during the late ex-minister’s tenure .

“He was once our minister and most of his policies at that time were on course for the sector. We have lost him and it is sad news for those of us in the agriculture sector,” Oke said.

On his part, Mr Godwin Egbebe, the national publicity secretary, Poultry Association of Nigeria, noted that Ogbeh did not pay lip service to agriculture development during his time in office.

“For me, I will say the late ex-minister of agriculture tried during his time in office, though he was not an agric. major person but he had passion for agriculture because he had a farm before he became minister,” Egbebe said.

Also, Mr Akin Alabi, an agriculture expert and co-founder Corporate Farmers International, praised the late ex-minister’s strides in the sector but for the lack of youth inclusivity in his policy programmes.

 

We Lost Jewel Of Inestimable Value – APC Scribe

The Benue South Senatorial Candidate of the All Progressives Congtess (APC) in the 2023 General Elections, Daniel Onjeh, has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Ogbeh.

In a statement on Saturday in Makurdi, Onjeh described late Ogbeh as a pillar of integrity and a highly principled politician.

He said the deceased top politician was a patriotic citizen of immeasurable value whose love for Nigeria was unwavering.

Reflecting on his close relationship of more than two decades with Ogbeh, Onjeh recounted how he often consulted the elder statesman on policy decisions and guidance in his political and public life.

“I often sat with him under the tree in his home garden, listening to his wealth of wisdom and drawing from his deep understanding of governance, leadership, and national development.

“He was a sage whose counsel shaped many of my perspectives on service. We have lost a jewel of inestimable value, and we cannot forget his immense contributions to national development in a hurry”, Onjeh stated.

 

He Was A Man Of Integrity – Ex-Senate President, Ebute

A former Senate President, Sen. Ameh Ebute, also described Ogbeh as a man of  integrity and great achiever.

Ebute, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi said Ogbeh was a man who never compromised anything for his integrity.

The former Senate president said that the elder statesman’s death was a great loss to the Idoma nation, Benue and the country at large.

He said, “It is a very painful loss, not only to our community and Benue, but also the entire nation.

“Audu Ogbe was an excellent man, a man of integrity who would not compromise, for whatever reason.

“I worked with him for a very long time and I knew him as man of integrity. He would not compromise for anything.

“He was a performer and great achiever. He performed creditably well in all the offices he held. His death at this time is unfortunate is unfortunate.”

Ebute prayed God to grant the late elder statesman eternal rest and his immediate family the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

 

Nigeria Has Lost True Patriot – Orji Kalu

In his reaction, a former governor of Abia, Sen. Orji Kalu expressed deep sorrow over the death of the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, saying Nigeria has lost a true patriot.

In a condolence message issued on Saturday in Abakaliki, Kalu described Ogbeh as a man of uncommon wisdom, humility and integrity, whose unwavering passion for the development of Nigeria, particularly in agriculture and rural advancement, left enduring legacies.

Kalu, a former Senate Chief Whip, said that the late elder statesman devoted his life to the service of the nation, championing policies and programmes that promoted food security, empowered rural communities and inspired a new generation of farmers.

According to him, Nigeria has lost a true patriot whose contributions will continue to resonate across the country.

Kalu extended his condolences to the Ogbeh family, the government and people of Benue and Nigerians at large, praying to God to grant the deceased eternal rest and his family the fortitude to bear the loss.