Fred Aghogho Brume (also known as Fred A. Brume, Fred Brume, or Fred Ayo Aghogho Brume; 25 September 1942 – 12 September 2011) was a Nigerian politician, engineer, and industrial manager. He served as a Senator for the Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State, Nigeria, at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, representing the People's Democratic Party (PDP). He held office from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003.
Early Life and Education
Brume was born on 25 September 1942 in Delta State, Nigeria. He demonstrated exceptional academic ability early on and was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the oldest engineering honor society, as a junior at the University of Maine in 1963. He earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine in 1965 and a postgraduate degree in Industrial Management from the Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1967.
Career Before Politics
After completing his education, Brume joined the World Bank in the autumn of 1967 and served as an officer there until 1969. He later held various executive positions in engineering and industrial management. Notably, he established the Delta Steel Company as its first General Manager and Chief Executive Officer in the 1980s, though his work was curtailed following the military coup that brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power in 1983.
Senate Career
Brume took his seat in the Nigerian Senate in June 1999. He founded and became president of the Urhobo Leadership Forum in Abuja. He was appointed to several Senate committees, including Science & Technology, Establishment, Niger Delta (which he chaired), Privatization, Tourism & Culture, and Economic Affairs. In February 2001, after a committee reshuffle, he became chairman of the Steel committee, but lost this position in another reshuffle in October 2002—reportedly because he opposed moves by Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo. Brume accused supporters of the impeachment of having "evil intentions" for the country, arguing that the move would truncate democracy in Nigeria.
As a Senator, Brume was instrumental in establishing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), gained approval for establishing a federal university in Delta State, pushed for highway construction, and attempted to revive the steel sector. However, his moderate position on the allocation of oil revenues from the Niger Delta to other regions made him unpopular in his home state.
Later Political Career
After the Delta Central Development Coalition passed a vote of no confidence in him in September 2002, Brume failed to secure the PDP nomination for a second Senate term. The PDP instead selected former governor Felix Ibru as its candidate. Brume decamped to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and became its senatorial candidate but lost the election to Ibru. He subsequently filed a petition with the Delta State Electoral Tribunal seeking nullification of Ibru's election.
In January 2006, Brume was among the aspirants screened by the South-South People's Assembly Presidential Search Committee as a potential candidate for the 2007 presidential election, having returned to the PDP. He later chaired a committee that screened candidates for governor of Delta State in the 2007 elections, selecting Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru as the consensus candidate for the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP). Following violent elections in April 2007, Brume was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the burning of houses owned by PDP supporters but was soon cleared of the charges.
Later Years and Death
In May 2009, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Consultative Forum, Brume described the Niger Delta situation as "very precarious" and called on the government to adopt new methods of addressing the region's problems. In June 2009, as leader of the PDP Delta Central Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders Forum, he advised Urhobo people to avoid self-imposed political isolation and to reach out to other ethnic groups.
In a 2009 interview, Brume discussed the Petroleum Industry Bill, complaining of bias against the South-South region. He noted that the federal university in Delta State was being starved of funds and that the NNPC leadership were all Northerners.
Senator Fred Ayo Aghogho Brume died on 12 September 2011 after a brief illness due to heart-related complications, at the age of 68.
