Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has described the late Chief Audu Ogbeh as a rare statesman and intellectual powerhouse whose voice carried clarity, brilliance, and unmatched depth.
Speaking on Monday at a night of tributes in honour of Ogbeh at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, Ngige said the former Minister of Agriculture was often underestimated because of his soft-spoken nature, yet his influence in government was commanding.
“People underrated Audu because he is slim and soft-spoken,” Ngige recalled. “They think I’m the warrior because I have a beard and raise my voice. But when Audu speaks, his clarity and depth are unmatched.”
Ngige recounted how Ogbeh’s interventions at the Federal Executive Council left even senior government officials, including former Secretaries to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and Boss Mustapha, scrambling to keep pace.
“After council meetings, they would go to his office to ask him to repeat everything,” he said. “His speed and knowledge were overwhelming.”
Calling Ogbeh a “precious gem,” Ngige said Nigeria had lost one of its finest minds — “a man of eloquence, brilliance, and a wealth of knowledge.”
In a solemn reflection, Ngige imagined Ogbeh reuniting with the country’s departed founding fathers.
“Audu, you are already there with Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo and the rest. Lecture them a little, but tell them things are still bad in Nigeria, even if not worse,” he said.
Chief Audu Ogbeh, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ex-Minister of Agriculture, died recently at the age of 78.
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