‘We’ve lost a breadwinner’
The sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in last Saturday’s Kogi State governorship election, has left behind a lot of grief, particularly for the people of his ancestral homeland, of Ogbonicha in Ofu Local Government Area. JAMES AZANIA reports
To the people of Ogbonicha in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, the death of Prince Abubakar Audu is a blow too much to bear. Coming barely a day after the Returning Officer for the state governorship election, Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, had proclaimed his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner in 16 out of the 21 local government areas, in last Saturday’s election, his demise was a shock of unimaginable proportion, not just for people of Ogbonicha, but to his thousands of supporters and admirers, several of who wished for his resurrection on the day of his burial.
Unarguably the most visible politician beginning from the creation of Kogi State in 1991, Audu commanded a near cult following among his people, not merely because of his stupendous wealth, but their conviction in his total commitment to their cause. Audu used his position anywhere he was to impact on his people, and this they knew. When he was out of town, his palatial residence in Ogbonicha never required security guards, because the whole community guarded it.
Anywhere Audu went in his community, it was usually shouts of adoja (one that guides his people), followed by their chorus ede. You could see it in his eyes that he loved his people and his people loved him.
That Prince Abubakar Audu, aged 68, became the first elected governor of Kogi State in 1992 on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) after a banking career spanning over two decades. Before the creation of Kogi, Audu served as commissioner under Jonah Jang, before Kogi was carved out of old Benue State, is well known to the public, but not many know of how his people literally begged him to be governor, based on the developments he attracted to his area while he was in Jang’s cabinet.
In 1991, Gabriel Adukwu, the NRC chairman in the old Benue and C. O Cornelius, from Kabba, both signified interest in becoming governor of the newly created Kogi State, but then, Audu was approached by some eminent persons who felt he had what it took to pilot the affairs of the new state to contest as governor, which he was to later accede to, but while Adukwu accepted to withdraw from the race, Cornelius refused to step down and went into the race for the NRC ticket with Audu. He was worsted, polling only one vote at the primary.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the state, on the other hand, was in crisis and unable to pick a candidate. Audu has since then, and until his death, remained the de factor political numero uno in Kogi. Alhaji Abdulkadir Audu, an octogenarian and the eldest of the over 60 children born by the late Audu Oyidi, the patriarch of the Audu family, gives an insight why the younger Audu was so much loved by his people.
He said that his brother, long before he became commissioner in Benue, was always looking for ways to impact positively on his people. According to him, the late Audu built three houses at different times in Ejule, about 10 kilometres to his country home, Ogbonicha. He then built the fourth one in Ogbonicha, just to be closer to his people. He also established a mega (NNPC) petrol station just across his row of houses in Ejule, the proceeds of which were dedicated to the welfare of the extended Audu family.
Among the deeds that endeared him to his people included his influencing the construction of the Otukpa-Ejule road while he was commissioner in old Benue State. Other roads constructed by him were
the Lokoja-Ajaokuta, Anyingba-Ogbalito and the Anyingba-Abejukolo roads. He ensured the constant maintenance of the Idah-Ofu federal highway, because it directly connects the people of his area and to
enhance economic activities in the area.
According to Abdulkadir, his brother and former governor was a man of resolve whose word was his bond. His words: “Prince Abubakar was my brother. He was born in my presence. What he said he would do, that was what he would do. But whatever he said he would not do, he would not do. His first job was at the bank, after which he joined politics. He became Commissioner for Finance under Jonah Jang when he was military governor in Benue. From there, he did this road (Otukpa-Ejule). When they created Kogi State, people asked who would be governor in Kogi? Then they said let them look for the man who did the road from Otukpa and Ejule.
He was in Lagos then; he was the executive director, Federal Savings International Bank (FSB) then. He was invited two weeks to the primary of NRC; he accepted to join. But he won the ticket and went ahead to win the election.”
The Attah Igala and President, Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, Idakwo Michael, Ameh Oboni II, said of him: “Prince Abubakar Audu lived a successful life and impacted positively on all those people he crossed their path”.
The Orego Attah Igalaland and paramount ruler of Ogbonicha, Alhaji Tijani Audu, said the late politician, who was an only son from his mother, was a dogged fighter. He described the late Audu as fearless and as a man of destiny who single-handedly lifted Ogbonicha from obscurity and to international prominence.
He said: “He fought for his people. The people he fought for, it is left for them to fight on. From the prophecies we learnt, even if he won, he would not stay long. When I told him, he said, ‘don’t mind them’. He said even if they would kill him he would fight for his people. He was not a troublesome person while growing up when we were in elementary school at Etteh. He was always a peace maker. But since he has fought for his people, it is left for them to fight on”. Hajia Hadiza said the whole people of Ogbonicha have lost a “bread winner and emancipator” with the death of Audu, adding that his shoes were too “too big to fit into another man’s legs”.
She continued: “What can you say of this man? This was somebody that raised the whole Ogbonicha; he raised the whole of us. He made us proud. He brought roads, schools, hospital, wealth. Everything good, he brought here. Nobody can do what he had done and he was never tired. You cannot cry to him and come back not smiling. Audu is gone!Our Audu is gone!”.
One of the late politicians’ nine children (eight males, one female), Aliyu, said their father placed much premium on education and that he was a very nice man whose death was too sudden.
“I was very close to my father. He was a very nice man; a man of his words and very close to his people. He pushed us all to work very hard to succeed on our own merit. His death was a sudden surprise, very very. If you will permit me, I think he was still young, he was 68. I never expected him to die. I was expecting him to be there on the day of my son’s wedding and be there to see his grand children”, said Aliyu.
On the legacy left behind by their father, he said: “The most enduring legacy he has left behind is education, not only for me, but for all of us. I believe that that is what has brought me to where I am now. He is an advocate for education. Not only for me, but he has touched the life of the average Kogi man through education”.
