Connect with us

celebrity radar - gossips

Minister Ocholi,Wife And Son Died In Auto Crash

Published

on

ocho

Yesterday, March 6, 2016, minister of state for Labour and Employment Mr. James Ocholi, wife and son died in an accident that occurs on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway. The incident occurred when the car they were travelling in had a burst tyre, skidded off the road and somersaulted into the bush near Rijana village.

Witnesses said the minister and his son died on the spot while his wife died of her injuries in Doka Hospital where she was taken to for immediate medical attention.

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock and sadness at the death of the minister saying the government had lost a key component of the change agenda.

Also, the governor of Kogi State (Ocholi’s home state), Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello yesterday declared a three-day mourning period in honour of the minister while his party, the APC, said in a statement that it was in shock.

News of Ocholi’s death got to Kaduna through many travellers who came across the accident on their way to the state capital.

The police public relations officer in Kaduna, DSP Zubairu Abubakar said the Lexus Jeep that the minister was travelling in had a burst tyre and the car somersaulted, veering off the road in top speed and killing both the minster and his son on the spot.

He said the wife and others who were in critical condition after the accident were taken to the hospital at Doka but that the wife later died.

Kaduna State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Francis Udoma, also state that “The driver, the chief detail, the orderly and the P.A (Personal Assistant) were injured.”

President Buhari in his condolence message expressed shock and sadness at the death of Barrister James Ocholi.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement last night that Buhari described Ocholi’s death as untimely.

The presidential spokesman said Buhari regretted that Nigeria had lost a key component of the 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”, the president was quoted as saying.

Buhari said in the few months he had been in office, the late minister had begun to distinguish himself through his commitment and dedication to his portfolio.

The presidential aide said the late Ocholi had a long record of political association with President Buhari.

Shehu said President Buhari also condoled with the government and people of Kogi State for “having lost a distinguished and irreplaceable son”.

He said the president prayed that God comfort the bereaved 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 most”, the president said.

Shehu said Buhari had also sent the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, “to formally convey the news to members of the deceased family as well as parishioners in his place of worship.”

Ocholi was a long time ally of President Buhari. He contested the Kogi governorship election in 2011 under the platform of the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC).

He was a member of the 17-man committee appointed by CPC that represented the party in the proposed merger of major opposition parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Before his appointment as Minister of State for Labour and Employment late last year, he also served as deputy national legal adviser of APC.

Barrister Ocholi hailed from Ogbagede-Abocho in Dekina LGA of Kogi State.

Kogi govt declares three-day mourning
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has declared three day mourning for the late minister. The three day mourning is to hold between today (Monday) and Wednesday.

The governor in a statement issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Abdulmalik Abdulkarim, described the late Ocholi as a ‘pragmatic, dynamic, humane and brilliant law officer, who was known around the world.’

He said the late minister was one of the most unswerving constitutional lawyers Nigeria has ever produced.

Bello recalled how the late Senior Advocate of Nigeria joined other progressive minded individuals around the country to build the pillars of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He further stated that the late minister was a detribalized Nigerian who believed in the oneness of the nation, summing up his death as an irreparable loss to Kogi State and the Nation at large.

The governor condoled with members of his family over the loss of late Ocholi and prayed for repose of the soul.

A close family friend, Attai Uwodi, described the incident as shocking and devastating.

He said the incident had left them speechless and in utter disbelief, adding that they had left everything to God.

The APC National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mai Mala Buni, described the death of Ocholi as a monumental loss.

In a condolence message Sunday, Buni prayed for the recovery of others involved in the accident, including the late minister’s driver who reportedly sustained serious injuries.

The APC National Secretary said the late Ocholi, who was the party’s former Deputy National Legal Adviser, would be remembered for his selfless service to the country.

While extending his condolences to the people and government of Kogi State, Buni prayed to Almighty God to grant Ocholi’s immediate family the fortitude to bear the loss.

NLC president commiserates with Buhari
The president of Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Comrade Ayubba Wabba has commiserated with President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of the minister.

Speaking to Daily Trust on phone yesterday, Wabba described the late minister as a reliable and dependable person who used his legal background to ensure industrial peace and harmony in workplaces.

He said his death was a great loss to the present administration, labour force and Nigeria at large.

The NLC president said he had earlier called his counterpart minister, Chris Ngige who confirmed to him that Ocholi had lost his live in the accident.

“We enjoyed working with him because he added value to governance and contributed immensely in ensuring that the national health workers’ issues were amicably resolved. We will surely miss him for his commitment to the present administration’s core values. His demise has indeed created a great vacuum,” Wabba said.

Minister’s corpse deposited at National Hospital – FRSC

The FRSC said yesterday that the remains of the late Minister of State had been deposited at the morgue of the National Hospital, Abuja.

Mr Bisi Kazeem, the spokesperson of the FRSC, confirmed in Abuja that the corpse was taken to the hospital along with two other casualties.

“The minister and two other occupants died eventually, while four people were injured,” said the spokesman.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

celebrity radar - gossips

TINUBU IS THE WISEST MAN EARTH -PROPHET IKURU 

Published

on

TINUBU IS THE WISEST MAN EARTH -PROPHET IKURU.

by Collins Nkwocha 

 

Nigerian prophet, prophet Godwin Ikuru of Jehovah Eye Salvation Ministry, Lagos magnetized everyone’s attention when he referred to the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the wisest man on earth regarding the appointment of Daniel Bwala as special Adviser on policy communications.

 

 

Speaking to reporters today in Lagos,

Prophet Ikuru applauded the president for choosing him and enunciated that he’s capable of delivering effectively and marketing the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president and urged Nigerians to stop the criticism because of what he said in the past “I’m personally happy with his appointment and I urge Nigerians to forget about the past, forget about what he must have said about the president some years ago which people are now disseminating on the social and taunting him a betrayal that lacks integrity, Nigerians should forget his past because he’s the best choice”.

 

Prophet Ikuru insisted that Bwala saw the sincerity and genuity of the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda and he decided to partake in it “even if he criticized the president, it was in the past, he saw the sincerity in the Renewed Hope Agenda and decided to join in nation building ,the president is ready to unite everyone in order to build Nigeria,that’s why someone like Wike is in his government,Bwala has what it’s required to be successful under Mr.president, as a wise man, the president saw it and decided to harness it ”

 

Finally, he praised Tinubu and referred to him as a great leader who is ready to involve everyone in his government, he maintained that his wisdom is magnanimous ,Baba is truly the wisest man on earth.

Continue Reading

celebrity radar - gossips

U.S. Courtroom Shock: Funke Ashekun, Husband Collapse as MFM Wins

Published

on

U.S. Courtroom Shock: Funke Ashekun, Husband Collapse as MFM Wins

A dramatic scene reportedly unfolded in a United States courtroom as a legal battle involving Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) ended in favor of the church, leaving the opposing party visibly shaken.
According to accounts from individuals familiar with the proceedings, tension had been high throughout the hearing as the court prepared to deliver its ruling in the long-running dispute involving Funke Ashekun and her husband.
Moments after the decision was announced in favor of MFM, the atmosphere inside the courtroom reportedly turned chaotic. Witnesses said Ashekun and her husband appeared overwhelmed by the verdict and suddenly fainted, prompting immediate concern from those present.
Court officials and medical responders quickly intervened to provide assistance, while proceedings were briefly interrupted as the situation was brought under control.
The case, which had drawn attention among observers following the dispute, concluded with the court ruling in favor of the ministry, marking a significant legal victory for the church.
While details surrounding the legal arguments remain closely watched by those familiar with the case, the dramatic moment following the ruling quickly became the most talked-about aspect of the courtroom proceedings.
As reactions continue to emerge, the outcome is expected to close a chapter in the dispute while raising conversations about the broader implications of the case
Continue Reading

celebrity radar - gossips

Had FFK Faced Mehdi Hassan, Nigeria Would Have Spoken With Fire 

Published

on

AHMAD GUMI: CLERIC OF BLOOD, FACE OF HATE 

Had FFK Faced Mehdi Hassan, Nigeria Would Have Spoken With Fire 

By Mohammed Bello Doka

 

 

 

In politics, timing is everything. In diplomacy, character is everything. And in moments of national importance, leadership must be entrusted to individuals who possess not only experience but courage, intellect and an unshakable commitment to the nation they represent.

 

It is for this reason that the appointment of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode as Nigeria’s Ambassador to a foreign nation stands out as one of the most consequential diplomatic decisions in recent years.

 

Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, better known in the South as “FFK” and in the North as “Sadauki”, is one of the most brilliant, experienced, accomplished, vocal, respected, educated, profound, intellectual, patriotic, disciplined, well-read, historically literate, versatile, forceful, persuasive, sophisticated, cosmopolitan, charming, eloquent, courageous and resilient men in Nigerian politics and he has paid his dues and proved his worth over the last 35 years in politics and political discourse.

 

 

In each role he has played he has excelled and succeeded even when he was in opposition.

 

 

His friends value him as a great and loyal defender and his traducers and political adversaries fear and respect him because when he goes to war he is utterly relentless, takes no prisoners and literally spits fire.

 

 

 

How I wish it was him that was interviewed by Mehdi Hassan of Al Jazeera and not the young and inexperienced Daniel Bwala because he would have not only humbled Hassan but also done Nigeria proud.

 

 

 

He played Bwala’s present role in the Presidential Villa 23 years ago as President Olusegun Obasanjo’s spokesman and not only brought the then President’s domestic enemies to their knees but also had a series of very hot exchanges with foreign Government officials like America’s Under-Secreatary of State for Africa Jendaye Fraser and the White House over the Charles Taylor issue and Liberia.

 

 

 

Tinubu decision to appoint him as an Ambassador for our nation was a wise one because he will fight for and protect the interests of Nigeria and the Nigerian community whetever he goes and will never sell his soul or bow to foreign imperialist interests.

 

 

 

His appointment is not about just rewarding loyalty for the key role he played in Tinubu’s presidentiel campaign organisation as Director of New Media and Special Operations in 2023 and the staunch support he has given the President over the last three years but also about putting a square peg in a square hole.

 

 

 

If you want to put Nigeria first Sadauki is the one to do it.

 

 

If he runs the Nigerian Mission in the country that he is sent to in the same way he ran the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Aviation when he was Minister to each of them one after the other twenty years ago he will do very well and both our nation and whichever nation he is posted to itself will benefit from his efforts.

 

 

 

History teaches that diplomacy is most effective when nations deploy individuals who possess both intellect and courage.

 

 

 

As the American statesman Henry Kissinger once noted, “Diplomacy is the art of restraining power.”

 

 

 

To do so successfully requires deep historical awareness and strategic clarity—qualities that have long defined Fani-Kayode’s political career.

 

 

 

Sending a politically seasoned voice like FFK to any nation that is a key partner to Nigeria signals that Bola Ahmed Tinubu intends to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic posture with confidence.

 

 

Throughout more than three decades in the political arena, Fani-Kayode has remained one of the most resilient and outspoken figures in Nigerian public life despite numerous challenges which would have broken and destroyed lesser men.

 

 

Regardless of all that was thrown at him he continues to pull through and come out victorious which is why many refer to him as the “Akanda Eledumare” and the “Ayanfe Oluwa” which mean “the strange one of God” and “the beloved of the Lord”.

 

 

There appears to be a divine dimension to his life that makes him unstoppable and irrepressible even though his enemies are legion.

 

 

 

 

 

One wonders what sets him apart and makes him so different.

 

There is no doubt that his education played a part in it and this set him apart from most.

 

 

 

He never went to school in Nigeria but was educated from the age of eight in England starting off at Holmewood House School in Kent, one of the UK’s best and most famous Preparatory schools, after which he attended the famous Harrow School just outside London which is, together with Eton College, an institution that is the exclusive preserve of high society in the UK, one of the two best private schools in that country where only the ruling elite, the rich, the well-to-do, the famous and only a tiny proportion of those in British high society can afford or even qualify to attend.

 

 

No less than eight British Prime Ministers, including the great Sir Winston Churchill, and countless British cabinet ministers attended Harrow and so did many leaders, diplomats and top politicians from many foreign countries.

 

 

 

After finishing at Harrow he attended some of the top universities in the world, including London University (SOAS) and Cambridge University (Pembroke College) where he did so well.

 

 

 

As a matter of fact his great grandfather, Rev. Emmanuel Adelabi Kayode, attended Furrough Bay College which at that time was part of Durham University and graduated with an MA (Hons.) in Theology in 1893. His grandfather Justice Adedapo Kayode attended Cambridge University (Selwyn College) where he studied law and graduated in 1922. His father Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode attended Cambridge University (Downing College) where he studied law and graduated in 1943. Sadauki himself graduated in law at Cambridge University (Pembroke College) in 1984 whilst his daughter Folake Fani-Kayode graduated from Durham University in 2009.

 

No African family has an uninterrupted streak of 116 years of Oxbridge-level university graduates except for the Fani-Kayode’s which is something that both his family and every patriotic Nigerian should be proud of.

 

 

It therefore makes perfect sense that a man from such a distinguished pedigree and intimidating lineage and that has such an extraordinary intellectual heritage should represent Nigeria on the international stage.

 

 

 

There is also his role in the debate on Gaza which made him a hero in the eyes of millions of people in the Global South both amongst Christians and Muslims.

 

 

 

He spoke out consistently about what he described as the genocide being committed against the Palestinians and he was prepared to put his life and career on the line for this cause even though most Nigerian leaders and politicians refused to say what he was saying publicly out of fear of the Zionist lobby and the Jewish state.

 

 

 

His sense of patriotism is unquestionable and nothing reflects this better than his series of essays written against Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Opposition Conservative Party and his write up against one Ben Llewelyn-Jones, who at that time was the Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, when the former consistently sought to insult and denigrate Nigeria and the Nigerian people and the latter attempted to interfere in our internal affairs by making statements in support of Peter Obi and his Obidients in the 2023 presidential elections.

 

 

 

Sadauki successfully put them both in their place and when American Senator Ted Cruz, President Donald Trump, Congressman Tim Riley and other American politicians began to peddle the false narrative and fake gospel of Christian genocide and persecution in Nigeria Sadauki, a devout Christian himself, rose to the challenge and more than any other Nigerian wrote about the issue in a series of essays pointing out the fact that as many Muslims were being killed as Christians by the terrorists in our country and that Christians were not being persecuted by our Government and are in fact faring better when it comes to positions in the security apparatus and governance under Tinubu than they did in the previous administration.

 

 

 

He also spoke out boldly against President Trump and his administration when they accused the Government of South Africa of indulging in genocide against the white minority population in their country and pointed out the fact that South Africa, like Brazil, was a shining example of a successful multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation that was treating its white minority population with the greatest respect. Few Africans said a word to defend South Africa at the time even though they knew that Trump was wrong but Sadauki did so without thinking twice.

 

 

 

He is clearly a strong Pan-Africanist and a believer in the importance of the African Union, African solidarity, the BRICS coalition and the Global South alliance comprising of China, Russia, South Africa, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other emerging world powers.

 

 

This is commendable and it reflects his courage and disdain for those that display ignorance, disdain and contempt for our nation and people and that seek to denigrate and misrepresent us.

 

 

 

Sadauki is not the type that bows and quivers before Westerners like so many other Nigerian leaders and politicians but rather takes pride in his Nigerian culture, race, heritage and identity and is prepared to defend us and speak for us no matter whose ox is gored and who is involved.

 

 

 

In an increasingly competitive global environment, Nigeria requires diplomats capable not only of negotiation but also of defending national interests with conviction.

 

 

 

If the energy, eloquence and intellectual fire that have defined Fani-Kayode’s political life accompany him to the country to which he has been posted, his tenure may well become one of the most consequential chapters in Nigeria’s modern diplomatic engagements.

 

 

 

I wish him well and I thank God that he is back in the saddle of public office after so many years.

 

 

What more could any of us ask of this great and noble son of Nigeria?

 

 

This is undoubtedly the quality of personnel and leaders that we need on the international stage.

 

I hope and pray that in his endeavours and during the course of his work he meets with Mehdi Hassan in a debate and prove to him and the rest of the world that Nigeria still has men that can not only match them but that can also remove their trousers in any verbal encounter. Bwala put us to shame but FFK can redeem us before the eyes of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Mohammed Bello Doka, the author of this essay, is the publisher of Abuja Network News and can be reached via [email protected])

Continue Reading

Cover Of The Week

Trending