"The Ministry And His Families Body Was Received At National Hospital In Abuja

The Federal Government confirmed the death of the
Minister when Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal received the
body of the late Minister, that of his wife and son at the
National Hospital in Abuja.

The SGF told reporters that the accident which claimed
the life of the minister and his family occurred at
about 3.00pm.

The Minister was said to have travelled to Kaduna to
attend a church programme and was returning to Abuja
when the accident occurred.

The SGF said: “I will like to confirm that at about 3
pm today, the Honourable Minister of State for Labour
and Employment, James Ocholi was involved in a motor
vehicle accident along Kaduna-Abuja road. In this
accident, the minister lost his life, his son also lost his
life and the wife also lost her life. It is a very sad day
indeed for Nigerians.

“This thing has never happened and the President is in
shock. All members of the Federal Executive Council are
in shock and indeed, all Nigerians are in shock. We
commiserate with Nigerians. The President wants us to
extend his condolences to Nigerians, the people of Kogi
and the immediate family of James Ocholi.

“Personally, I have known James Ocholi for more than
20 years. We have been friends both in politics and in
Christian circle and I am indeed personally saddened
that I cannot begin to express the grief that we all face.

“Now, the bodies have been recovered and deposited in
the mortuary and we are waiting for the immediate
family and the Kogi State Government for the next line of
action. May God comfort all of us”.
Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige described the
death as shocking, adding that he was overwhelmed with
shock

The Minister in a statement by his Special Assistant on
Media, Nwachukwu Ngige, described Ocholi as an
“industrious servant of our dear.” In him, the Ministry of
labour and Employment, lost such an invaluable
intellectual.

“Personally, I lost a competent colleague and a friend.
What a vanity this life is!  What an emptiness; what a
nothingness we are! I pray that God Almighty, Himself,
the author of all creations would give eternal rest to
Ocholi, his wife and son. What a sad day”
Senator Dino Melaye said: “I am shocked, I am still in
shock and in pains. I spoke with him this morning and
we agreed that we were going to have a chat when he
comes back from Kaduna. We have lost somebody, we
have lost a great Nigerian; we have lost an intellectual
and lawyer. We have lost a great Kogite. I am shocked.”

The bodies of the late minister and his son whose name
and age could not be confirmed arrived the National
Hospital in a Federal Road Safety Corps ambulance with
registration number AO1-637RS at about6.48pm and
were deposited at the mortuary.

The ambulance was accompanied by another FRSC
escort pick-up van with registration number A01 736RS.
The body of the. Minister’s wife who died later at the
Doka Rural hospital along the Kaduna Abuja road also
arrived the hospital at about 7.47 pm in a Kaduna state
government ambulance with registration number
BK563DKA. It  was also received by the SGF
Scores of sympathisers were at the hospital. Road
safety officials told our reporter that five of them were
traveling in the Lexus SUV to Abuja when it had a tyre
bust causing the vehicle to summersault several times.

Those at the National Hospital include Minister of Works,
Housing and power, Babatunde Fashola, Kogi State
Governor Yahaya Bello,Federal lawmakers as well as
friends and relations of the minister.
Others were Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, Mr.
Festus Keyamo, Dr. Jafaru Momoh, FCT Commissioner
of Police, Minister of Environment Aisha Mohammed,
among others.