Nigeria's
Minister of state for Labour, James Ocholo (SAN) who lost his life
along with his wife and son in a fatal car crash, has been laid to rest
in his country home in Kogi state.
The late Minister of State for Labour, James Ocholi (SAN), his wife
and son, journeyed to their home-town Abocho, Dekina LGA in Kogi state
as they were all laid to eternal rest today.
Federal government officials, governors, ministers, senators and
many more were all spotted at the venue to pay their last respect to the
late senior advocate of Nigeria.
Below is President Muhammadu Buhari's special tribute to Ocholi + Live pictures from the funeral ceremony.
James Ocholi taught us the meaning of loyalty.
How do I begin to pay this tribute to a man who was the epitome of
civility, the archetype of intellectualism, and the paragon of loyalty?
How do I begin to mourn James Ocholi, whom you can describe as one of my
right hand men in the quest to reposition our country, and fashion a
land of peace and prosperity, where no man is oppressed?
A lot has been written about Ocholi since the tragic event of March
6, 2016, which took the life of our Minister of State, Labour and
Employment, his wife, Blessing, and his son, Joshua. And a lot more will
be written, forOcholi was no mean man. He was a man among men, an Iroko
in a forest of trees. How are the mighty fallen!
Among many other positive and pleasant things, I will always
rememberOcholi for his loyalty to our beloved country Nigeria, loyalty
to our party, the All Progressives Congress, and loyalty to our
administration, in which he had served for just about 4 months, before
death took him.
In 2011, Ocholi ran to be governor of Kogi State on the platform of
our then party, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). I believed so
much in him, and in his ability to add value to the governance of his
state, that I followed him round the state on campaign. We visited all
the local governments, visited the paramount rulers, and urged the
people to vote in a worthy man as governor. But politics is a peculiar
game in Nigeria. The best often does not win.
Ocholi did not win. But he bore it gracefully.
In 2015, he threw his hat into the ring again. He sought to be
governor on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he
had helped midwife. He still did not win at the party primaries, an
eventuality he bore gracefully again.
When the APC was being negotiated into existence among the Legacy
Parties, Ocholi did a yeoman’s job, contributing his quota to the legal
processes. This he did under a junior lawyer, who was not a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) like him then. But what mattered to Ocholi was
the birth of a strong, solid party, which could wrest power at the
centre, and bring change to our country. Hierarchy is important in the
legal profession, just as it is in the military.
But Ocholi subordinated pride and ego, served under his subordinate, and APC was born.
Dream became reality.
Steadily but sure-footedly, he was part of the Change Cabinet,
resolved to bring our country from out of the woods, and pedestal
Nigeria among the greats in the comity of nations. Then the unthinkable
happened. The Grim Reaper harvested Ocholi. What a pity! Sad and tragic.
But we have this consolation: the departed has taught us fidelity, commitment and loyalty to party, to government, and to God.
He will be sorely missed.
MUHAMMADU BUHARI.
