Very Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu (12 June 1945 - 20 November 2005) became governor of

Benue State Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is t ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

on 2 January 1992, elected on the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

(SDP) platform. He left office after the military coup in November 1993 in which General

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

came to power.

Background

Adasu was born on 12 June 1945 at Mbaamena, near Awajir in Shangev-Tiev District of

Konshisha Konshisha is a local government area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Tse-Agberagba. It has an area of 1,673 km and a population of 225,672 at the 2006 census. The area is majorly populated by members of the T ...

Local Government Area of Benue State. He studied at St. James Junior Seminary Keffi (1966–1968). He then attended St. Augustine's Major Seminary, Jos, an affiliate of the

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, (1969–1972), graduating with a bachelor's degree in Divinity. Later he studied at St. John's University,

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(1975–1976), earning an M.A. degree, and then at Catholic University of America,

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

(1976–1978) where he gained a Masters of Religious Education. Adasu was a Senior Inspector of Education at the Benue State Ministry of Education headquarters,

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popul ...

. He also taught in Secondary and Teachers Colleges in Jos,

Otukpo Otukpo is a town in Benue State, Nigeria located in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria. It is also the eponymous name of a subgroup of the Idoma people. Otukpo is the headquarters of the Otukpo Local Government Area. It was the headquarters of the ...

and Adikpo, and at the Colleges of Education in

Akwanga Akwanga is a Local Government Area in Nasarawa State Nasarawa State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the east by the states of Taraba and Plateau, to the north by Kaduna State, to the south by the states of Kogi ...

and

Katsina-Ala Katsina-Ala is a Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Katsina-Ala where the A344 highway starts. It is also the location of an important archeological site where artifacts of the Nok culture hav ...

. He was a member of the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, the Benue State Prerogative of Mercy, the Advisory Council of the Episcopal Commission on African Tradition Religion, and the Board of Governors of the College of Education, Katsina-Ala. He was Chairman of the Presbyteral Council, Dean of Makurdi Deanery, Diocese of Makurdi and Vicar-General, Diocese of Makurdi.

Political career

Adasu was elected the second Executive Governor of Benue State on 2 January 1992. He was said to have had a positive impact on conditions during his two-year term. He founded

Benue State University Benue State University is a state-owned university in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. In 2006, student enrollment was over 19,000 served by 7 faculties, 23 departments. The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs with a catalog ...

on 27 December 1991. He reactivated and upgraded the College of Education, Oju. He conceived the concept of the Tarka Foundation, named after Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka and launched on 2 July 1992. The foundation's building occupies five hectares of land in

and includes an art gallery, conference rooms, recreational centers and chalets. The mandate of the foundation is unclear. Other projects that he started included BENCO roof tile, and the K/Ala fruit juice company, but he was not able to achieve a great deal during his short period in office. Adasu said that politics is not a dirty game, but those who are in it for selfish reasons make it dirty. He said "I am in politics to baptise politics and make it pure". He was removed from office when General

came to power in November 1993, replaced by Group Captain Joshua Obademi. In the

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Adasu was appointed a member of the

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(ICPC) in January 2001. He resigning from the ICPC in June 2002 to reenter politics. As a member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) party he challenged the incumbent Governor

George Akume George Akume (born 27 December 1953) is a Nigerian politician who is the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs. He was a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was the Minority Leader of the Senate from June 2011 to ...

of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 2003 gubernatorial elections. He was not successful. In September 2004 he was head of one of the National Convention Committees for the AD, after a factional split in the party caused by the return of former chairman Ahmed Abdulkadir. Adasu died on 20 November 2005. After his death

conferred an honorary doctorate degree on Adasu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adasu, Moses Orshio 1945 births 2005 deaths Governors of Benue State People from Benue State St. John's University (New York City) alumni Catholic University of America alumni Nigerian Roman Catholics Nigerian Christian clergy