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Francis Ottah Agbo is the current Honourable Member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State at the House of Representatives. He is the Spokesman of the Minority Caucus, Chairman of the very important Drugs and Narcotics Committee. The journalist turned legislator is also a member of the following committees: NDDC, Navy, Science & Technology, FCT & Ancilliary Matters, Industry, Federal Character, Works, Justice, Civil Society & Development Partners, Federal Roads Safety Corps etc.
A seasoned Journalist, outspoken and proud Idoma breed, Agbo was born on the 6th June, 1974 in Agadagba of Ukwonyo Ward in Utonkon District, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.
In 1978, He enrolled at the Wesley Primary School, Ukwonyo, Utonkon and obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1984. He started his secondary school education at Government Secondary School, Ulayi in 1985, graduating in 1991 as the best-graduating student in Ado Local Government Area.
He later attended the College of Advanced and Professional Studies, CAPS, Makurdi, leaving the college in 1998, also as the overall best graduating student with 13 points, out of 15. The University of Maiduguri offered him admission to study Mass Communications in 1999. While in the University, he was a student union leader and served as President of Mass Communications Students Association, MACOSA.
Agbo graduated from the University of Maiduguri in 2002 and was posted to Sokoto for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), where he served between 2003 and 2004. While serving, he was NYSC Public Relations Officer and Editor of SOKOPA, an NYSC news bulletin. Before completing the NYSC, he was employed by The NEWS magazine as a Sokoto Correspondent. He earlier had a stint with INSIDER magazine.
In 2004, Agbo enrolled at the Benue State University for a Masters degree in Mass Communications from where he graduated in 2006. He was in The NEWS magazine till 2008 before joining The Sun Newspaper as Politics Editor (Sunday). He resigned from The Sun in December, 2008 to join the then charismatic Minister of Information and Communications, late Professor Dora Akunyili as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs on January 6th 2009. He managed the image of the late Minister and helped to launch and sustain the National Rebranding Campaign of Nigeria by the Federal Government.
Consequent upon the resignation of Akunyili to contest the senatorial election in Anambra State in 2011, Agbo returned to the newsroom as Politics Editor of the Abuja-based Leadership newspaper, a position he held until he was appointed a Consultant and honorary Special Adviser (Media and Strategy) to the Governor of Bayelsa State, the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson on 14 February 2012.
In acknowledgement of his contributions to his party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Agbo as Benue South Coordinator for his Presidential election in 2015. He worked hard with other leaders to deliver the zone to the party during the election.
A man of infallible sagacity, Agbo’s sense of responsibility and media dexterity caught the affection of Bayelsa state Governor, and upon his re-election and swearing-in on 14th February, 2016, Governor Dickson appointed him as Special Adviser on Media Relations and later elevated him to the position of Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, a position he held tenaciously until his election into the lower chambers of the National Assembly to represent Enone, the largest constituency in Benue.
Popularly known by his people as the OZIGI ZAGA, ‘The MOVING TRAIN’, the TALK-NA-DO and the NEW SHERIFF in town, Agbo traversed across the 35 Council Wards of Ado, Okpokwu and Ogbadibo, from 2018 to 2019, and with a rendezvous acceptance, the people unanimously resolved to vote for him as their Honourable Member.
No wonder, his votes across the 3 Local Government Areas encapsulated those of other contenders like a drop of water in the ocean; the ‘Moving Train’ dazzled some political onlookers with his unwavering grassroots networking acumen, coming tall in the contest by winning in almost all polling units in a poll where some political juggernauts were also interested.
At the reception held in his honour on the day he was being inaugurated into the 9th National Assembly, the man, who is also known as ‘Feedback Lawmaker’, fulfilled one of his cardinal promises during the electioneering campaigns, by constituting an 11-Man Constituency Welfare Committee to disburse his 4-year salaries at the National Assembly to widows, orphans and the less privileged in his constituency. The implication of this is that, the legislator will not draw salaries for four years as a lawmaker.
Barely two weeks in office, without drawing a dime from the National Assembly Mana
