Audu Ogbeh: A lodestar for ACF, Northern Nigeria

Northern Nigeria and Nigeria face new challenges everyday. While working since 2000 to shape the future of the region and by extension, the country, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) recognizes the importance of focusing on the biggest development issues facing the people, and the greatest threat to their future security and stability. This situation would […]

Northern Nigeria and Nigeria face new challenges everyday. While working since 2000 to shape the future of the region and by extension, the country, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) recognizes the importance of focusing on the biggest development issues facing the people, and the greatest threat to their future security and stability.

This situation would have been worse without the steady pressure from ACF. The organisation has been directly and indirectly involved in diverse development and poverty reduction programmes in the North and the country as a whole. As the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau State recently pointed out, ACF has been dispassionately playing advisory, interventionist and reconciliatory roles in addressing the many challenges facing the region and the country. There are a number of issues on which the ACF has encouraged open debate and negotiation, and created better understanding while promoting unity, peace and tranquility. And this has reinforced the commitment of intra-regional and regional organisations in the country to pursue peace in order to make urgent regional and national progress. Hence, northerners and non-northerners alike now appreciate the ACF as a genuine and effective channel for regional and national development.

The election of Audu Ogbeh as ACF Chairman has clearly set the pace. The man needs no introduction because of his political antecedents. During the time he served as Deputy Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, minister in the second republic, PDP chairman and Buhari’s Minister of Agriculture, to mention a few, he was known as a man of standard, forthrightness and uprightness. As a leader, his sympathy is wide, and his commitment to social and common good is strong. His motto is “noncooperation with evil.” He has openly refused to be saddled with the pervasive idea that corruption, violence, divisiveness, political immorality, injustice, misrule, absolutism, tyranny and impunity are sane leadership tools.  He is a leader that sets clear targets and delivers results with well-intended motives. He has a lot of concern for the well-being of the people. He believes very strongly that the people should be at the centre of any development effort.

The fact of the matter is that, in all his leadership dealings in his home state – Benue – northern Nigeria and Nigeria, he has always insisted on genuine and rooted development. He is very pained that despite God’s abundant blessings, the people still lag far behind in development. Consequently, he has been pre-occupied with conversations and efforts that will bring about genuine and sustained development. He has also remained openly insistent on the moral dimensions of development – uncompromising and unwavering.

He is ever convinced that Nigeria should remain one, peaceful and resourceful. The need for national unity, participation of all communities in the conduct of public affairs and decent conduct of public affairs have remained his principal concerns. Hence, he has been doing his best to encourage unity among the different peoples in Benue, northern Nigeria and Nigeria. He has refused to give up on those things that would correct mutual suspicion, hatred and bitterness. Armed with the message of unity, he has relentlessness and tirelessly persuaded the Nigerian people to give up past grievances and overcome barriers to peace. His thoughts and concerns for truth, social justice and moral rectitude have been showing in this regard during national, regional and state tensions.

Generally, he is known and respected in the country as a man of integrity, decency and strong character. He is well known for not taking what does not belong to him. Given his political antecedents and what he presently has materially, it is very clear that most material things he prays and craves for are more driven by need than by greed.  “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Ogbe has utilised every opportunity to reap from the work of his hands and at the same time being consistently beneficial to the nation. He has continued to enlarge Nigeria’s virtues by using every space at his disposal to pragmatically preach good followership and leadership. Beyond shunning the popular culture of plundering the country’s resources, his record of prudence and administrative excellence as a high profile public servant is exemplary.

That explains why he has prospered politically and endured on the national political scene. A nation-state is a great experimenter. Basically, it discards “leaders” that are not beneficial to it. Nigeria as a nation has constantly experimented and has discarded leaders that are of no benefit. In fact, if some past leaders had a conversation with Nigeria on why they are discarded. Its response would probably be – I am very, very sad because you were very damaging, calamitous and cruel to me. Audu Ogbeh has endured because, he has been beneficial to the Nigerian State. And from all indications the nation is still yearning for him.

His propeller is truth-telling. He is mindless of whose ox is gored when courting the truth. His comments on prickly problems that affect Northern Nigeria and Nigeria as a whole have been dispassionate, un-discriminatory and unsentimental. To safeguard the future of Northern Nigeria and Nigeria, “he believes that it is better to tell the truth now and suffer the consequences rather than keep silent and watch selfish elements destroy the noble path established by the forefathers of the nation.” This has helped a great deal in reducing volatility and uncertainty in the North and the country. Truth is very bitter. Although, he has suffered severely and has been intensely misjudged, misunderstood, vilified and denigrated, he has remained steadfast.

For those who know him very well, therefore, his election as ACF chairman did not come as a surprise. At a time like this, when majority of our leaders have lost the way, and majority of our people have been led astray, it is quite heartwarming to see personalities like Audu Ogbeh, who have not only preached dignity but have also demonstrated the most deeply humane acts elected to lead a regional political and cultural association of leaders which wields considerable national influence. His leadership of ACF, undoubtedly, will be a new historical vista that will greatly advance the efforts so far made to bring about development in northern Nigeria and Nigeria for the benefit of all.

Okidu wrote from Abuja.