Prominent politician and ex-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has passed away.
The politician who was also once the chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) reportedly died this morning at the age of 78.
He died peacefully at home, according to a statement by his family.
The statement paid tribute to Ogbeh, noting that he left behind a legacy of service, integrity, and dedication to Nigeria and his local community.
The family said they were comforted by the many lives he impacted positively while alive, and also the example he set for others to follow.
The family said funeral arrangements would be communicated later. They thanked friends, colleagues, and well-wishers for their show of concern and support.
The family also asked for privacy as they mourned the loss of their patriarch.
Ogbeh hails from Otukpo, Benue State, in the North Central region of Nigeria. He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, before proceeding to the University of Toulouse in France.
He served as a teaching assistant for some time before emerging as the head of the Language, Arts and Social Sciences Department at Murtala College of Arts, Science and Technology in 1977.
In 1979, he was elected to the Benue State House of Assembly, where he served as Deputy Speaker.
He later burst onto the federal scene, serving as Minister of Communications between 1982 and 1983, and Minister of Steel Development in the Second Republic. His tenure was cut short by the coup of December 1983.
He was out of public service for a while, devoting his time to agriculture. He founded a rice mill, a cashew plantation, debt community agricultural projects, and a consultancy service.
Ogbeh later reemerged on the national scene when he was appointed into the National Constitutional Conference Commission in 1993. Two years later, he was appointed to the National Reconciliation Committee.
He became the National Chairman of PDP in 2001 and served in that capacity until 2005. He opposed the third-term agenda of the then-President Olusegun Obasanjo. This led to his resignation from the post.
During the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, Ogbe was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2015, and he remained in the role till 2019.
Ogbeh was also a playwright.
