Chief Audu Ogbeh: Tributes continue as patriot, statesman goes home at 78

Nigeria on August 9, 2025, lost one of its most principled political figures and finest sons, Chief Audu Innocent Ogbeh – a man whose life journey from the quiet streets of Otukpo in Benue State to the nation’s highest political tables was marked by integrity, service, and an enduring belief in the country’s potential.

He passed away peacefully at his Abuja residence at the age of 78. His family, in a statement, expressed gratitude to friends, colleagues, and well-wishers for their prayers and support, noting that funeral arrangements would be announced in due course.

The news of his passing drew an outpouring of grief and tributes from across Nigeria’s political spectrum, a testament to a career that transcended party lines and personal ambition.

President Bola Tinubu described Ogbeh as “a man of strong convictions who spoke the truth as he saw it… always ready with facts and figures to support his propositions. The nation will sorely miss his insightful perspectives and wealth of experience.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, speaking through his aide from Uganda, called him “a peace-loving, unassuming, committed patriot and a firm believer in democracy and participatory governance.”

Former President Goodluck Jonathan hailed his “decades of service to Nigeria,” noting that his life was “defined by patriotism, humility, and a steadfast commitment to national unity and development.”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called the news “a rude shock,” describing Ogbeh as “a quintessential gentleman, affable and amiable friend, and reliable political ally, whose immense contributions to nation-building will be sorely missed.”

From the legislature, former Senate President Bukola Saraki remembered him as “a public figure whose words were always guided by integrity and whose service was rooted in genuine concern for the people,” while his predecessor, Senator David Mark, said he was “moved to tears,” mourning the loss of “a dependable brother and friend.”

In Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Alia expressed sadness at the loss of “a distinguished son of the state,” while Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, called him “a distinguished leader, consummate public servant, and patriot, who committed his life to his people and the nation in various capacities.”

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), which Ogbeh once chaired, described him as “a nationalist and committed son of Arewa” whose “life was devoted to public service.” Its publicity secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, said: “ACF’s celebration of the late Chief Ogbeh is therefore one to a man who had paid his dues well. He was a passionate and large-scale farmer, indeed one of the biggest farmers in Nigeria… a life well led in the service of Nigeria, nay, humanity.”

Born on July 28, 1947, in Otukpo, Benue State, Ogbeh grew up in the Idoma heartland but received an education that took him far beyond its borders. He attended St. Francis Primary School, King’s College Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Toulouse in France.

His early career was in academia, beginning as a lecturer in the humanities at ABU Zaria before becoming head of the Language, Arts, and Social Sciences Department at the Murtala College of Arts, Science and Technology in 1977. But even in the classroom, his instincts for public service were strong.

In 1979, Ogbeh was elected to the Benue State House of Assembly, where he served as Deputy Speaker. Three years later, he was appointed Federal Minister of Communications (1982–1983) and subsequently Minister of Steel Development in the Second Republic, until the December 1983 military coup cut short his tenure.

During the politically turbulent 1990s, he served on the National Constitutional Conference Commission (1993) and the National Reconciliation Committee (1995), demonstrating his enduring commitment to democratic governance.

As a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ogbeh became its National Chairman in 2001, leading Nigeria’s then-dominant political party through a period of political storms. His tenure ended in 2005 after a high-profile clash with then-President Obasanjo over governance issues.

“You cannot stay in a party to witness its death,” Ogbeh famously remarked upon his resignation, a move that cemented his reputation as a politician who valued principle over position.

After leaving the PDP leadership, Ogbeh returned to his first love – the land. At Efugo Farms in Makurdi, he became one of Nigeria’s most prominent agricultural entrepreneurs, producing rice, cashew, pineapples, and poultry. His hands-on farming experience informed his later work as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (2015–2019) under President Muhammadu Buhari.

In that role, he championed mechanisation, youth empowerment in agriculture, and the revival of grazing reserves. He oversaw significant expansion in domestic rice production and was a vocal critic of Nigeria’s heavy reliance on food imports.

“We import food at the cost of billions of dollars. Every import is an export of jobs from Nigeria,” he warned in 2018. “Hunger is a very bad political adviser.”

Ogbeh was not only a politician and farmer, he was a man of ideas, a writer, and a thinker. His play The Epitaph of Simon Kisulu, staged in 2002 at the Muson Centre in Lagos, reflected his reflections on justice, community, and the human condition.

This intellectual curiosity, combined with his deep agricultural roots and political acumen, made him one of the most multidimensional public figures of his generation.

Ogbeh’s long career earned him the national honour of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR). He also served as Deputy Chairman of the committee planning the ACF’s 25th anniversary until his passing.

Even in his later years, he continued to be sought after for his counsel. President Tinubu, in his tribute, said: “The nation will sorely miss his insightful perspectives and wealth of experience.”

For many Nigerians, Chief Audu Ogbeh’s life story is both an inspiration and a challenge – proof that it is possible to engage in politics without surrendering one’s principles, to serve without clinging to office, and to return to the soil when the halls of power grow cold.

He is survived by his family, an enduring agricultural legacy, and the countless lives he touched as a teacher, lawmaker, minister, party leader, and community elder.

As the ACF put it in its final farewell: “May Almighty God in His infinite mercies grant him peaceful repose and be with his family in this difficult time.”