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By Myke Agunwa
Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Innocent Ogbeh, has died at the age of 78. He passed on peacefully on Saturday, August 9, 2025.
The news was confirmed in a statement released by the Ogbeh family.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather; Chief Audu Ogbeh,” the statement read. “He passed away on the 9th of August 2025 at the fulfilled age of 78.”
The family remembers Ogbeh as a man who left behind a “legacy of integrity, service, and dedication to our nation and community.”
They also expressed gratitude for the support and prayers they have received. “We are comforted by the many lives he touched and the example he set,” the statement added.
The family also requested for privacy during the period of mourning and said that details of the funeral arrangements would be announced in due course.
Ogbeh, a prominent elder statesman and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2015 to 2019 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
During his tenure as Minister, Ogbeh announced that Buhari had approved the Ruga (Rural Grazing Area) plan to set aside cattle-grazing areas for herders driving their cattle to market in the south along with water pasture housing and even schools for the pastoralists.
He was of firm belief that Nigeria’s economic woes are directly flowing from the mistake of adopting SAP in 1986 and that it will take a lot of work and some time to revive the economy and attain growth.
He was also a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).