Fred Aghogho Brume

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Fred Ayo Aghogho Brume

| image =

| office1 = Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Delta Central Senatorial District

| term_start1 = 29 May 1999

| term_end1 = 29 May 2003

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 = Felix Ibru

| birth_date = 25 September 1942

| birth_place = Delta State, Nigeria

| death_date = 12 September 2011

| party =

| nationality = Nigerian

}}

Fred Aghogho Brume (Fred A. Brume, Fred Brume) (25 September 1942 – 12 September 2011) was a Nigerian politician. He was elected Senator for the Delta Central Senatorial District 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.{{cite web

|url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/n/nigeria/nigerialeg2.txt

|title=FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 20 FEBRUARY AND 7 MARCH 1999

|work=Psephos

|access-date=2010-06-22}}

Educational history and background

Brume was exceedingly bright, inducted into the oldest engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi,{{Cite web|date=12 December 1963|title=The Maine Campus: Tau Beta Pi Initiates Seven in Recognition|url=https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1300&context=mainecampus}} as a junior at University of Maine in 1963.{{Cite web|title=Tau Beta Pi - Member Lookup|url=https://www.tbp.org/memb/MemberLookup.cfm|access-date=2020-06-26|website=www.tbp.org}} He obtained a Chemical Engineering degree from University of Maine in 1965 and a post-graduate degree in Industrial Management from the Sloan School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T) in 1967. Brume joined the World Bank in the fall of 1967{{Cite web|date=October 1967|title=World Bank - International Bank Notes|url=https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/207891468914420127/pdf/641490NEWS0Ban00Offical0Use0Only010.pdf}} and was an officer of the World Bank until 1969.{{Cite web|last=Admin|date=2017-01-13|title=BRUME, Sen. Prince (Chief) Fred Aghogho (Late)|url=https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/brume-senator-prince-chief-fred-aghogho/|access-date=2020-06-26|website=Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation|language=en-US}}

His background was in engineering and industrial management, where he held various executive positions.

He established the Delta Steel Company as the first general manager and CEO in the 1980s, although his work was curtailed under the regime of General Muhammadu Buhari following a military coup in 1983.{{cite web

|url=http://www.waado.org/urhobohistory/Addresses_Lectures/brume_urhobo_voice.html

|publisher=Urhobo Historical Society

|title=SENATOR FRED BRUME'S INTERVIEW WITH THE URHOBO VOICE

|work=The Urhobo Voice

|date=January 17, 2005

|author=Charles Oviri

|access-date=2010-06-22

|archive-date=2010-06-19

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619080141/http://www.waado.org/UrhoboHistory/Addresses_Lectures/brume_urhobo_voice.html

|url-status=dead

}}

Senate career

After taking his seat in the Senate in June 1999 Brume founded and became president of the Urhobo Leadership Forum in Abuja.

He was appointed to committees on Science & Technology, Establishment, Niger Delta (chairman), Privatization, Tourism & Culture and Economic Affairs.{{cite web

|url = http://www.nigeriacongress.org/assembly/committees1.htm

|title = Congressional Committees

|publisher = Nigeria Congress

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|url-status = usurped

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091118151316/http://www.nigeriacongress.org/assembly/committees1.htm

|archive-date = 2009-11-18

}}

In February 2001, after a reshuffle of the Senate committees Brume became chairman of the Steel committee.{{cite web

|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2001/02/18/20010218leg02.html

|title = Reconstituted Committees Position Anyim as New Power Broker

|author = Chukwudi Nwabuko

|work = ThisDay

|date = 2001-02-18

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050121100437/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2001/02/18/20010218leg02.html

|archive-date = 2005-01-21

|url-status = dead

}}

He lost this position in another reshuffle in October 2002, apparently because he opposed moves by Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo.{{cite web

|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/10/16/20021016news10.html

|title = Anyim, Na'Abba Move Against Anti-impeachment Lawmakers

|author = Chuks Okocha and Bature Umar

|work = ThisDay

|date = 2002-10-16

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051127222332/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/10/16/20021016news10.html

|archive-date = 2005-11-27

}}

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.{{cite web

|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/09/24/20020924news32.html

|title = Obasanjo: 2 Lawmakers Decry Impeachment Move

|work = ThisDay

|date = 2002-09-24

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051130162618/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/09/24/20020924news32.html

|archive-date = 2005-11-30

|url-status = dead

}}

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.{{cite web

|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2001/08/14/20010814com01.html

|title = Brume and Resource Control Fuss

|author = Eferovo Igho

|work = ThisDay

|date = 2001-08-14

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051117184133/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2001/08/14/20010814com01.html

|archive-date = 2005-11-17

|url-status = dead

}}

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.{{cite web

|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/09/25/20020925pol02.html

|title = Coalition Moves Against Brume - Endorses Ibru, Majemite for Senate

|author = Malachy Agbo

|work = ThisDay

|date = 2002-09-25

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051128012308/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/09/25/20020925pol02.html

|archive-date = 2005-11-28

|url-status = dead

}}

The PDP instead selected former governor Felix Ibru as their candidate.{{cite web

|url=http://news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/2003/apr/23/092.html

|title=The Making of a New Senate

|author= Chukwudi Nwabuko and Oke Epia

|work=ThisDay

|date=2003-04-23

|access-date=2010-06-22}}

Brume decamped to the Alliance for Democracy (AD), becoming senatorial candidate for that party.{{cite web

|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/01/18/20030118pol03.html

|title = Delta Senatorial Contest: The Actors, the Props

|author = Eddy Odivwri

|work = ThisDay

|date = 2003-01-18

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041227035901/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/01/18/20030118pol03.html

|archive-date = 2004-12-27

|url-status = dead

}}

After losing the election to Ibru, Brume filed a petition with the Delta State Electoral Tribunal seeking nullification of Ibru's election.{{cite web

|url=http://news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/2003/may/19/191.html

|date=May 19, 2003

|title=Delta election tribunal begins sitting

|author=Tunke-Aye Bisina

|work=Daily Independent}}

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 Mbu.{{cite web

|url=http://odili.net/news/source/2006/jan/10/301.html

|title=2007: Mbu's panel concludes screening

|author=Tommy Solomon

|date=January 10, 2006

|work=Vanguard

|access-date=2010-06-22}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}{{cite web

|url=http://odili.net/news/source/2006/jan/8/300.html

|title=SPECIAL REPORT: 2007: Who emerges South-South presidential flag bearer?

|author=EMMA AMAIZE

|date=January 8, 2006

|work=Vanguard

|access-date=2010-06-22}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

He had recently returned to the PDP.{{cite web|url=http://odili.net/news/source/2006/jan/11/310.html |title=Obasanjo didn't send me out of Aso Rock - Brume |work=Vanguard |author=Emma Amaize |date=January 11, 2006 |access-date=2010-06-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060114054650/http://odili.net/news/source/2006/jan/11/310.html |archive-date=January 14, 2006 }}

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).{{cite web

|url = http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/politics/2007/apr/13/politics-13-04-2007-003.htm

|title = Ogboru, our consensus candidate

|author = GABRIEL DIKE

|work = Daily Sun

|date = April 13, 2007

|access-date = 2010-06-22

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070426203149/http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/politics/2007/apr/13/politics-13-04-2007-003.htm

|archive-date = 2007-04-26

|url-status = dead

}}

However the PDP candidate Emmanuel Uduaghan, protégé of the outgoing governor James Ibori, was elected.{{cite web

|url = http://www.deltastate.gov.ng/the%20governor.htm

|title = THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR

|publisher = Delta State Government

|access-date = 2009-12-29

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100424230620/http://deltastate.gov.ng/the%20governor.htm

|archive-date = 2010-04-24

}}

The April 14 elections were violent. Brume was later arrested on suspicion of involvement in the burning of several houses owned by PDP supporters.{{cite web

|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/group/Naija-news/message/4502

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209212846/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Naija-news/message/4502

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=February 9, 2013

|title=Cleric seeks release of Brume, Odibo over polls' violence

|author=Chido Okafor

|work=THE PUNCH

|date=27 Apr 2007

|access-date=2009-12-29}}

He was soon cleared of these unfounded charges.

In May 2009, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Consultative Forum Senator 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".{{cite web

|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200905181446.html

|title=Brume Asks Govt to Adopt Method in N-Delta Devt

|work=Vanguard

|author=Emma Arubi

|date=18 May 2009

|access-date=2010-06-22}}

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.{{cite web

|url=http://odili.net/news/source/2009/jun/9/409.html

|work=Daily Independent

|date=June 9, 2009

|title=Group cautions Urhobo against self-isolation

|author=Sam Akadoro

|access-date=2010-06-22}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

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.{{cite web

|url=http://odili.net/news/source/2009/aug/6/501.html

|title=Niger Delta: North has hidden agenda –Fred Brume

|author=EMMANUEL OGOIGBE

|work=Daily Sun

|date=August 6, 2009

|access-date=2010-06-22}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

Senator Fred Ayo Aghogho Brume died on 12 September 2011 after a brief illness. He died of heart-related complications.{{cite web

|url = http://odili.net/news/source/2011/sep/14/1.html

|date = September 14, 2011

|title = How Brume, Otobo pass on

|work = The Guardian (Nigeria)

|author = Chido Okafor and Obire Onakemu