Minister of State, Ocholi, wife, son die in road crash
Mon Mar 07, 2016 10:36:am National
3.1K By sosa hills
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. James Ocholi, died in a tragic car crash on Sunday afternoon throwing a pall of sorrow and grief across a shocked nation.
Ocholi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), died alongside his wife and son in a motor accident on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway while on a road trip to Kaduna State with his family.
Ocholi's car crashed at Doka Village, a few kilometres to Kaduna. An eyewitness said the Minister's Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) burst a tyre and somersaulted several times on the highway, hitting other vehicles in the convoy before plunging into the bush.
The Minister and his son, whose name and age could not be immediately established, died on the spot . while his wife died later in the hospital where she was rushed to after the accident.
There were different accounts of the fate of the Minister's driver. While some sources said he survived the crash, others said that he died alongside Ocholi's wife at the hospital where they were rushed to.
The Police authorities in Kaduna State confirmed that Ocholi died along with his wife and son.
There were speculations about the fate of the minister's orderly and other aides who may have been injured in the crash.
Another source said that the accident occurred at Rigana Village, Kaduna on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
The Special Assistant to the FRSC Corps Marshal on Media, Bisi Kazeem, who confirmed the minister's death, said his vehicle had a burst tyre.
He said Ocholi's remains and two other occupants, believed to be the minister's wife and son, had been deposited at the morgue of the National Hospital, Abuja.
"The minister and two other occupants died in the accident along the Kaduna/Abuja Highway on Sunday," Kazeem said.
Reports learnt that Ocholi's body was received at the National Hospital, Abuja by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Ocholi, who attended Ochaja Secondary School and the University of Jos in Plateau State, hailed from Ogbabede-Abocho in Dekina Local Government Area in Kogi State.
He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2007 and the Chairman, Disciplinary Committee of the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
In 2011, he was governorship aspirant in Kogi State on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
Between 2013 and 2014, he was deputy national legal adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Last year, he sought the APC gubernatorial ticket at the party's primary election but lost to the late Abubakar Audu.
He was appointed Minister of State for Labour and Employment in 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a reaction to Ocholi's death, President Buhari last night expressed shock and sadness over the tragedy.
In a statement, the President described the deaths as untimely, and regretted that Nigeria had lost a key component of his Change agenda.
"Barrister Ocholi was an accomplished and patriotic Nigerian, who was keen to accept the call to service at a time his country needed him," Buhari said.
Buhari disclosed that in the few months Ocholi had been in office, he had begun to distinguish himself through his commitment and dedication to his portfolio.
The statement, issued by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, noted that the late Ocholi had a long record of political association with President Buhari, who also condoled with the government and people of Kogi State.
He said the state had lost "a distinguished and irreplaceable son" and prayed that God would comfort and grant them the grace to bear the loss.
"The entire country mourns the loss of this great man, who has sadly left us when we need him the most," the President said.
Already, Buhari has sent Babachir to convey the sad news to members of the deceased family as well as parishioners in his place of worship.
The National Secretariat of the APC said on Sunday that it received the news of the death of Ocholi and his son with great shock and sadness.
The APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, in a condolence message, described the deaths as monumental losses, adding that the party had lost a committed member.
kogi Governor Yahaya Bello expressed great shock and devastation over his death.
The governor described the late Ocholi as a "pragmatic, dynamic, humane and brilliant law officer, who was known around the world for his dexterous approach to legal and political issues and one of the most unswerving constitutional lawyers Nigeria has ever produced."
Bello recollected how the late Ocholi joined other progressive Nigerians to drive the intellectual pillars of the APC and described him as a complete gentleman who was irrevocably committed to the advancement of the country.
He described the late minister as a detribalised Nigerian who believed in the oneness of the nation, summing up his death as an irreparable loss to Kogi State, Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress and the legal profession.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) has described Ocholi's death as "a sad and shocking news. It is unbelievable. James was a devout Christian, a consummate bar man whose knowledge of law stood tall. He was modest, unassuming but very clear headed and efficient in the discharge of his duties. He contributed immensely to the development of the bar. This is a very sad and painful loss to the entire bar. We pray for the speedy recovery of others involved in the accident."
Ocholi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), died alongside his wife and son in a motor accident on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway while on a road trip to Kaduna State with his family.
Ocholi's car crashed at Doka Village, a few kilometres to Kaduna. An eyewitness said the Minister's Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) burst a tyre and somersaulted several times on the highway, hitting other vehicles in the convoy before plunging into the bush.
The Minister and his son, whose name and age could not be immediately established, died on the spot . while his wife died later in the hospital where she was rushed to after the accident.
There were different accounts of the fate of the Minister's driver. While some sources said he survived the crash, others said that he died alongside Ocholi's wife at the hospital where they were rushed to.
The Police authorities in Kaduna State confirmed that Ocholi died along with his wife and son.
There were speculations about the fate of the minister's orderly and other aides who may have been injured in the crash.
Another source said that the accident occurred at Rigana Village, Kaduna on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
The Special Assistant to the FRSC Corps Marshal on Media, Bisi Kazeem, who confirmed the minister's death, said his vehicle had a burst tyre.
He said Ocholi's remains and two other occupants, believed to be the minister's wife and son, had been deposited at the morgue of the National Hospital, Abuja.
"The minister and two other occupants died in the accident along the Kaduna/Abuja Highway on Sunday," Kazeem said.
Reports learnt that Ocholi's body was received at the National Hospital, Abuja by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Ocholi, who attended Ochaja Secondary School and the University of Jos in Plateau State, hailed from Ogbabede-Abocho in Dekina Local Government Area in Kogi State.
He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2007 and the Chairman, Disciplinary Committee of the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
In 2011, he was governorship aspirant in Kogi State on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
Between 2013 and 2014, he was deputy national legal adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Last year, he sought the APC gubernatorial ticket at the party's primary election but lost to the late Abubakar Audu.
He was appointed Minister of State for Labour and Employment in 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a reaction to Ocholi's death, President Buhari last night expressed shock and sadness over the tragedy.
In a statement, the President described the deaths as untimely, and regretted that Nigeria had lost a key component of his Change agenda.
"Barrister Ocholi was an accomplished and patriotic Nigerian, who was keen to accept the call to service at a time his country needed him," Buhari said.
Buhari disclosed that in the few months Ocholi had been in office, he had begun to distinguish himself through his commitment and dedication to his portfolio.
The statement, issued by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, noted that the late Ocholi had a long record of political association with President Buhari, who also condoled with the government and people of Kogi State.
He said the state had lost "a distinguished and irreplaceable son" and prayed that God would comfort and grant them the grace to bear the loss.
"The entire country mourns the loss of this great man, who has sadly left us when we need him the most," the President said.
Already, Buhari has sent Babachir to convey the sad news to members of the deceased family as well as parishioners in his place of worship.
The National Secretariat of the APC said on Sunday that it received the news of the death of Ocholi and his son with great shock and sadness.
The APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, in a condolence message, described the deaths as monumental losses, adding that the party had lost a committed member.
kogi Governor Yahaya Bello expressed great shock and devastation over his death.
The governor described the late Ocholi as a "pragmatic, dynamic, humane and brilliant law officer, who was known around the world for his dexterous approach to legal and political issues and one of the most unswerving constitutional lawyers Nigeria has ever produced."
Bello recollected how the late Ocholi joined other progressive Nigerians to drive the intellectual pillars of the APC and described him as a complete gentleman who was irrevocably committed to the advancement of the country.
He described the late minister as a detribalised Nigerian who believed in the oneness of the nation, summing up his death as an irreparable loss to Kogi State, Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress and the legal profession.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) has described Ocholi's death as "a sad and shocking news. It is unbelievable. James was a devout Christian, a consummate bar man whose knowledge of law stood tall. He was modest, unassuming but very clear headed and efficient in the discharge of his duties. He contributed immensely to the development of the bar. This is a very sad and painful loss to the entire bar. We pray for the speedy recovery of others involved in the accident."
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