L-R children of the late minister; Ale Ocholi, Aaron Ocholi and the minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola.
Aaron Ocholi, the eldest son of the late minister of state for labour and employment, James Ocholi has said that the dislocated arm from an injury sustained during football practice prevented him from embarking on the journey which led to the death of his parent and brother on Sunday, March 6.
The Leadership, reports that Ocholi, who was returning from a church thanksgiving service in Kaduna, would have travelled with his eldest son, Aaron, but was forced to leave him behind after he sustained a dislocation on his right arm while playing football. Aaron, a young lawyer who was called to the Nigerian Bar in October, 2015, same day his father was screened by the National Assembly as a minister has vowed to sustain his father’s legacy in the legal profession.
At a reception organized for him by friends and well-wishers at the Sheraton Hotel on the same day some months back, Ocholi had joked that as he was leaving legal profession to serve his country, his son would be taking over from him. Just few months after making that statement, Aaron has now been forced by providence to shoulder that legacy.
The home of the late Ocholi was besieged by dignitaries who trooped in to commiserate with the family. Some of the earliest visitors was the first lady, Aisha Buhari and Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello. Others included minister of labour, Chris Ngige; minister of sports, Solomon Dalong; minister of Interior, Gen. Danbazzau (rtd); minister of state for agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association; Senator Dino Malaye and a host of other dignitaries.
Meanwhile, the minister of labour and productivity, Chris Ngige has hinted that the federal government may immortalize the late Ocholi.
Ngige dropped the hint when he spoke with journalists after signing the condolence register opened in honor of the late minister of state, at the ministry in Abuja on Monday, March 7. “Yes! I have written officially to notify Mr. President about his transition and I believe the federal government will work out something because he died in active service. This is the second time the country is losing a minister of state; I think in 1982, the country lost a minister of state who went to São Tomé,” Ngige said.
He stated that the ministry would take care of the remaining members of Ocholi’s family and the staff of the ministry who sustained various degree of injuries in the accident. Joshua Ocholi, son of the late minister who died after the accident was reported to have spoken about his death on social media.
Joshua was a graduate of International Relations and Diplomacy at Salem University Lokoja. Joshua was serving in Abuja before his untimely death.
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