Ogbeh Before Death: Nigeria’s Future Looks Depressing
Former Agriculture Minister, Audu Ogbeh, in what turned out to be his last interview, spoke of his fears for Nigeria, saying the country’s future “looks depressing”
Ogbeh, who also served as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), died on Saturday at the age of 78.
In the interview with Daily Trust, published shortly before his death was announced, he described himself as a sad man, worried about worsening poverty, the neglect of agriculture and the collapse of local government administration.
“Believe me, I am a sad person. I tried to find happiness, but I am scared of the future. I may not be here, I am way over 70, heading to 80, but I don’t like what I smell. It is very depressing,” he said.
He lamented that many young people were leaving rural communities for the cities, only to find harsh living conditions, and with nothing to take them back to their villages.
On the push for a new constitution, Ogbeh said the problem was not the document but bad governance.
The former minister also recalled surviving an assassination attempt in 1998.
Armed men stormed his home, shot his guards and left him bleeding. “They broke down the door and came in. They had finished their bullets firing all over the place. They shot me, left me in a pool of blood and went away. This eye nearly fell out,” he said.
“My domestic staff outside heard them chanting, ‘We don kill am’. They came back at 6am and took me to hospital. My head was very large and I was totally unconscious… Somehow, they managed me and I recovered.”
Ogbeh started politics in 1979 as deputy speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly.
He was Minister of Communications under Shehu Shagari, PDP chairman from 2001 to 2005, and Agriculture Minister from 2015 to 2019.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
