Fred Aghogho Brume
Encyclopedia
Fred Aghogho Brume was elected Senator for the Delta Central constituency of Delta State
, Nigeria
at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic
, running on the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999.
He established the Delta Steel Complex as general manager in the 1980s, although the complex was later abandoned.
Leadership Forum in Abuja
.
He was appointed to committees on Science & Technology, Establishment, Niger Delta (Chairman), Privatization, Tourism & Culture and Economic Affairs.
In February 2001, after a shuffle of the Senate committees Brume became chairman of the Steel committee.
He lost this position in another shuffle in October 2002, apparently because he opposed moves by Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim
to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Brume had accused supporters of impeachment of evil intentions for the country, saying they were not comfortable with having a Southerner as President. He said the move would truncate democracy in Nigeria if it succeeded.
As a Senator he was instrumental in establishing the Niger Delta Development Commission, gained approval for establishing a federal university in Delta State, pushed for highway construction and attempted to revive the steel sector.
However, Brume's moderate position on allocation of revenues from oil produced in the Niger Delta to other regions of the country earned him unpopularity in his home state.
After the Delta Central Development Coalition passed a vote of no confidence on him in September 2002, Brume did not succeed in getting the PDP nomination to run for a second term in the Senate.
The PDP instead selected former governor Felix Ibru
as their candidate.
Brume decamped to the Alliance for Democracy
(AD), becoming senatorial candidate for that party.
After losing the election to Ibru, Brume filed a petition with the Delta State Electoral Tribunal seeking nullification of Ibru's election.
.
He had recently returned to the PDP.
Brume was chairman of a committee that screened candidates for governor of Delta State in the 2007 elections, selecting Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru as the consensus candidate accepted by Urhobos, Ijaws, Itsekiris and other tribes for the Democratic Peoples Party
(DPP).
However the PDP candidate Emmanuel Uduaghan
, protege of the outgoing governor James Ibori
, was elected.
The April 14 elections were violent. Brume was later arrested on suspicion of involvement in the burning of several houses owned by PDP supporters.
He was soon cleared of these unfounded charges.
In May 2009, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Consultative Forum Brume described the Niger Delta situation as being very precarious and called on the government to adopt new methods of dealing with the problems. He said "it is truly time to re-consider our strategies and our actions".
In June 2009, as leader of the PDP Delta Central Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders Forum, Brume advised Urhobo people to avoid self-imposed political isolation. Although the majority in the region, he said they should reach out to other ethnic groups and avoid extremes of ethnic nationalism.
In a rare interview in August 2009, Brume discussed the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill.
He complained of bias against the people of the South-South, citing the decision of Rilwanu Lukman
, Minister of Petroleum Resources, to only train lower-level workers at the Petroleum Training Institute in the Delta, while senior staff would be trained in Kaduna
. He stated that the federal university in Delta State was being starved of funds, that the Liquefied Natural Gas project was being moved to a western location rather than cited in Bayelsa State
as promised, and that the NNPC leadership were all Northerners.
Senator Fred Ayo Aghogho Brume died on 12 September 2011 after a brief illness. He died of heart-related complications.
Delta State
Delta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
, running on the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999.
Background
Brume's background was in engineering and industrial management, where he held various executive positions.He established the Delta Steel Complex as general manager in the 1980s, although the complex was later abandoned.
Senate career
After taking his seat in the Senate in June 1999 Brume founded and became president of the UrhoboUrhobo people
The Urhobo are people of southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger River delta. The Urhobo is the major ethnic group in Delta State; the Delta State is one of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language in Niger–Congo group...
Leadership Forum in Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
.
He was appointed to committees on Science & Technology, Establishment, Niger Delta (Chairman), Privatization, Tourism & Culture and Economic Affairs.
In February 2001, after a shuffle of the Senate committees Brume became chairman of the Steel committee.
He lost this position in another shuffle in October 2002, apparently because he opposed moves by Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim
Anyim Pius Anyim
Anyim Pius Anyim is a Nigerian politician and currently the Secretary to the Government of the Federation . He was elected as national Senator on the People's Democratic Party platform in 1999 for the Ebonyi South constituency of Ebonyi State...
to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Brume had accused supporters of impeachment of evil intentions for the country, saying they were not comfortable with having a Southerner as President. He said the move would truncate democracy in Nigeria if it succeeded.
As a Senator he was instrumental in establishing the Niger Delta Development Commission, gained approval for establishing a federal university in Delta State, pushed for highway construction and attempted to revive the steel sector.
However, Brume's moderate position on allocation of revenues from oil produced in the Niger Delta to other regions of the country earned him unpopularity in his home state.
After the Delta Central Development Coalition passed a vote of no confidence on him in September 2002, Brume did not succeed in getting the PDP nomination to run for a second term in the Senate.
The PDP instead selected former governor Felix Ibru
Felix Ibru
Olorogun Felix Ovudoroye Ibru is a Nigerian architect, Senator and former First democratic Governor of Delta State. Currently he holds the position of President General of the Urhobo Progressive Union ....
as their candidate.
Brume decamped to the Alliance for Democracy
Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria)
The Alliance for Democracy was a progressive opposition political party in Nigeria. It was formed on September 9th 1998. At the 2003 legislative elections, 12 April 2003, the party won 8.8 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 360 seats in the Nigerian House of Representatives and six out of...
(AD), becoming senatorial candidate for that party.
After losing the election to Ibru, Brume filed a petition with the Delta State Electoral Tribunal seeking nullification of Ibru's election.
Later career
In January 2006 Brume was one of the aspirants to be a candidate for the 2007 presidential election, screened by the South-South People's Assembly Presidential Search Committee led by Chief Matthew MbuMatthew Mbu
Matthew Tawo Mbu is a Nigerian lawyer, politician, diplomat, and a permanent fixture in Nigerian political affairs for more than fifty years...
.
He had recently returned to the PDP.
Brume was chairman of a committee that screened candidates for governor of Delta State in the 2007 elections, selecting Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru as the consensus candidate accepted by Urhobos, Ijaws, Itsekiris and other tribes for the Democratic Peoples Party
Democratic People's Party (Nigeria)
The Democratic People's Party is a Nigerian political party founded in 2006 by disgruntled members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party.In the 21 April 2007 presidential elections, the winner was Umaru Musa Yar'Adua of the People's Democratic Party with 24,638,063 votes...
(DPP).
However the PDP candidate Emmanuel Uduaghan
Emmanuel Uduaghan
Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan is the immediate past governor of Delta State in Nigeria he assumed office via an inconclusive election on May 29 2007 and is a member of the People's Democratic Party and was removed as Governor on the 9 November 2010 when the Federal Appeal Court seating in Benin...
, protege of the outgoing governor James Ibori
James Ibori
James Onanefe Ibori was the Governor of Delta State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party . He was arguably the most vocal advocate for resource nationalism in Nigeria....
, was elected.
The April 14 elections were violent. Brume was later arrested on suspicion of involvement in the burning of several houses owned by PDP supporters.
He was soon cleared of these unfounded charges.
In May 2009, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Consultative Forum Brume described the Niger Delta situation as being very precarious and called on the government to adopt new methods of dealing with the problems. He said "it is truly time to re-consider our strategies and our actions".
In June 2009, as leader of the PDP Delta Central Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders Forum, Brume advised Urhobo people to avoid self-imposed political isolation. Although the majority in the region, he said they should reach out to other ethnic groups and avoid extremes of ethnic nationalism.
In a rare interview in August 2009, Brume discussed the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill.
He complained of bias against the people of the South-South, citing the decision of Rilwanu Lukman
Rilwanu Lukman
Rilwanu Lukman is a Nigerian engineer who held several ministerial positions in the Nigerian Federal government before becoming Secretary General of OPEC from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2000...
, Minister of Petroleum Resources, to only train lower-level workers at the Petroleum Training Institute in the Delta, while senior staff would be trained in Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
. He stated that the federal university in Delta State was being starved of funds, that the Liquefied Natural Gas project was being moved to a western location rather than cited in Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
as promised, and that the NNPC leadership were all Northerners.
Senator Fred Ayo Aghogho Brume died on 12 September 2011 after a brief illness. He died of heart-related complications.