Some people working in agriculture have praised the achievements of former Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, who passed away early Saturday morning.
They shared their thoughts in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, saying Ogbeh made important contributions to the agricultural sector.
NAN reports that Ogbeh was a farmer, writer, and politician. He served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2015 to 2019.
His family released a statement confirming his death.
Mr. Femi Oke, Chairman of the Lagos and Southwest chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), praised the policies Ogbeh introduced during his time as minister.
“He was once our minister, and many of his policies were helpful to agriculture. His death is a big loss to us. May his soul rest in peace,” Oke said.
“He played his part in improving the sector while in office. Now he is gone. We pray his family finds strength to bear this loss,” he added.
Mr. Godwin Egbebe, National Publicity Secretary of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, said Ogbeh was truly committed to developing agriculture.
“For me, I believe he tried his best. Even though he wasn’t an expert in agriculture at first, he had a real passion for it because he owned a farm before becoming minister,” Egbebe said.
Mr. Akin Alabi, an agriculture expert and co-founder of Corporate Farmers International, also praised Ogbeh’s efforts but noted that his programmes didn’t focus enough on youth involvement.
“He was a good man. He made progress with the rice revolution, and some of those programmes are still in use today,” Alabi said.
“He also supported agricultural research, and the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) Livestock Programme began during his time in office,” he added.
