Tunde Ogbeha
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha is a retired general from Kogi State
, Nigeria
, who was administrator of Akwa Ibom State and then of Bendel State during the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida
(1985–1993). After the return to democracy in 1999 he was the elected senator for the Kogi West constituency of Kogi State
from May 1999 to May 2007. He is an influential figure in Kogi State politics.
, Kogi State in 1947. After obtaining a West African School Certificate, he attended the Nigerian Military School
, Zaria
, where he obtained a Nigerian Defense Academy diploma in 1970. In 1986, he attended The Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru for a year.
was replaced by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari
. Ogbeha approached Captain Augustine A. Anyogo of the Brigade of Guards and told him to arrest the president at midnight. Anyogo refused and alerted his superior officer, who arranged for increased security around the State House. However, the coup succeeded despite these measures.
Tunde Ogbeha played a prominent role in the subsequent coup of August 1985, when General Ibrahim Babangida
ousted Buhari's government.
In 1985, he was appointed an Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea
.
In 1987, he was appointed Military Governor of the newly formed Akwa Ibom State. In 1988, he was appointed Military Governor of the now defunct Bendel State.
Reminiscing about the period, Ogbeha said that he was not in the vanguard for the 1991 creation of Kogi State, but helped in its creation because he was a trusted advisor of President Ibrahim Babangida.
He voluntary retired as a Brigadier-General in 1993, after Babangida stepped down from power.
, a former military governor of Oyo State
, were a team in Kogi State. In the April 1999 elections, Ogbeha ran for the Senate and was elected to represent Kogi West on the platform of People's Democratic Party
(PDP), while Jemibewon obtained the ministerial post allocated to Kogi State in the new government.
In 2003, Tunde Ogbeha and David Jemibewon were rivals for the Kogi West PDP senate candidacy. However, Tunde Ogbeha was backed by president Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was chosen as PDP candidate and reelected to the Senate in April 2003.
Tunde Ogbeha was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources, in which role he attended the Fourth World Water Forum, March 16–22, 2006, in Mexico city
.
In a December 2005 interview, Ogbeha said "The constitution was made without the thought that we will have cowboys who will operate it and these cowboys are bringing us shame and disgrace". He strongly criticized the current leaders for wanton and unbridled corruption.
As senator for Kogi West, Tunde Ogbeha advocated a new Kogi State comprising the Okun Yorubas and the people of Kogi Central. He said that the people of Kogi East should constitute a separate state.
He chose not to run for another term in 2007.
Outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo had been campaigning for Tunde Ogbeha to become National Secretary of the PDP, which may have been the reason for Ogbeha' decision, but eventually he gave his support to Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje as PDP secretary.
He also became a member of the board of Falcon Securities, a stock brokerage established by Peter Ukuoritsemofe Ololo in 1993. Ololo was arrested in 2009 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
on charges that a huge portion of the loans taken by Ololo’s firms were carried out illegally. Ogbeha was not implicated in the charges.
In July 2009, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
nominated Tunde Ogbeha to the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, representing the non-oil-producing North Central region.
Kogi State
Kogi state is found in the central region of Nigeria. It is popularly called the Confluence State because the confluence of River Niger and River Benue is at its capital, Lokoja, which is the first administrative capital of modern-day Nigeria....
, 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...
, who was administrator of Akwa Ibom State and then of Bendel State during the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
(1985–1993). After the return to democracy in 1999 he was the elected senator for the Kogi West constituency of Kogi State
Kogi State
Kogi state is found in the central region of Nigeria. It is popularly called the Confluence State because the confluence of River Niger and River Benue is at its capital, Lokoja, which is the first administrative capital of modern-day Nigeria....
from May 1999 to May 2007. He is an influential figure in Kogi State politics.
Birth and education
Tunde Ogbeha was born in LokojaLokoja
Lokoja is the capital city of Kogi State, in central Nigeria, and is a port on Niger River.-History:Founded by William Balfour Baikie according to European historical records, although there have been indigenous people living in the area for thousands of years...
, Kogi State in 1947. After obtaining a West African School Certificate, he attended the Nigerian Military School
Nigerian Military School
The history of the Nigerian Military School Zaria dates back to 1954 when the Boys-Company of Nigeria was established under the auspices of Nigerian Regiment Training centre of the Royal West African Frontier Force . The school was established along with three others in the British Colonial West...
, Zaria
Zaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
, where he obtained a Nigerian Defense Academy diploma in 1970. In 1986, he attended The Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru for a year.
Military career
Tunde Ogbeha was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1970. As a Colonel in December 1983, he was involved in the military coup when President Shehu ShagariShehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government....
was replaced by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
. Ogbeha approached Captain Augustine A. Anyogo of the Brigade of Guards and told him to arrest the president at midnight. Anyogo refused and alerted his superior officer, who arranged for increased security around the State House. However, the coup succeeded despite these measures.
Tunde Ogbeha played a prominent role in the subsequent coup of August 1985, when General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
ousted Buhari's government.
In 1985, he was appointed an Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
.
In 1987, he was appointed Military Governor of the newly formed Akwa Ibom State. In 1988, he was appointed Military Governor of the now defunct Bendel State.
Reminiscing about the period, Ogbeha said that he was not in the vanguard for the 1991 creation of Kogi State, but helped in its creation because he was a trusted advisor of President Ibrahim Babangida.
He voluntary retired as a Brigadier-General in 1993, after Babangida stepped down from power.
Senate career
In 1998, Tunde Ogbeha and his close friend General David Medaese JemibewonDavid Jemibewon
Major General David Medayese Jemibewon is a Nigerian military officer who was appointed governor of Western State from August 1975 until March 1976 during the military regime of General Murtala Muhammed....
, a former military governor of Oyo State
Oyo State
Ọyọ State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria, with its capital at Ibadan. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Osun State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west partly by Ogun State and partly by the Republic of Benin....
, were a team in Kogi State. In the April 1999 elections, Ogbeha ran for the Senate and was elected to represent Kogi West on the platform of 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), while Jemibewon obtained the ministerial post allocated to Kogi State in the new government.
In 2003, Tunde Ogbeha and David Jemibewon were rivals for the Kogi West PDP senate candidacy. However, Tunde Ogbeha was backed by president Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was chosen as PDP candidate and reelected to the Senate in April 2003.
Tunde Ogbeha was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources, in which role he attended the Fourth World Water Forum, March 16–22, 2006, in Mexico city
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
In a December 2005 interview, Ogbeha said "The constitution was made without the thought that we will have cowboys who will operate it and these cowboys are bringing us shame and disgrace". He strongly criticized the current leaders for wanton and unbridled corruption.
As senator for Kogi West, Tunde Ogbeha advocated a new Kogi State comprising the Okun Yorubas and the people of Kogi Central. He said that the people of Kogi East should constitute a separate state.
He chose not to run for another term in 2007.
Outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo had been campaigning for Tunde Ogbeha to become National Secretary of the PDP, which may have been the reason for Ogbeha' decision, but eventually he gave his support to Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje as PDP secretary.
Later career
After leaving the Senate, Ogbeha became Chairman of the Confluence Cable Network, Kogi State's first private broadcasting station.He also became a member of the board of Falcon Securities, a stock brokerage established by Peter Ukuoritsemofe Ololo in 1993. Ololo was arrested in 2009 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud and money laundering...
on charges that a huge portion of the loans taken by Ololo’s firms were carried out illegally. Ogbeha was not implicated in the charges.
In July 2009, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was the President of Nigeria and the 13th Head of State. He served as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007. He was declared the winner of the controversial Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May...
nominated Tunde Ogbeha to the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, representing the non-oil-producing North Central region.