Nigerian statesman, lecturer, literary icon, and farmer, Chief Audu Ogbeh, died on Saturday at 78.
Confirming his death, with deep sadness, his family described him as a man who left an enduring legacy of integrity, service, and dedication to Nigeria.
Chief Ogbeh was a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Outside of politics, he was a lecturer and a playwright.
He was the Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly (1979, 1982) and later Communication Minister under the Second Republic. Two decades later, he served as PDP National Chairman (2001, 2005). In 2015, served as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Chief Ogbeh was a farmer, and he championed policies aimed at food security and rural inclusion. Observers noted that his credibility as a farmer lent weight to his pushes for structural reform in agrarian policy.
Many prominent Nigerian figures have commented on the former minister’s passing, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, who described him as “A man of uncommon integrity.”
The Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, said that Ogbeh was “One of the finest sons the state ever produced.”
Chief Ogbeh’s funeral details are expected soon.
