The Nation Newspaper

Tag: James Ocholi

  • Osinbajo swears in new ministers today

    Osinbajo swears in new ministers today

    Two ministers-designate, Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) would be inaugurated as Federal Executive Council (FEC) members on Wednesday, the Presidency has said.

    A Presidential spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, announced this in his tweeter handle late Tuesday night, and said that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo would perform the ceremony.

    Akande said that the inauguration of the ministers would precede the FEC meeting at the council’s chamber of the Presidential Villa.

    “Ag. President Osinbajo would be swearing in the two new ministers already confirmed by the Senate tomorrow morning at the start of the Federal Executive Council meeting,’’ he said.

    Ocheni and Hassan were confirmed by the Senate in May.

    Ocheni replaces the late Minister of State for Labour, Mr James Ocholi, who died in a ghastly auto-crash along Kaduna-Abuja highway in 2016, while Hassan takes the place of Amina Mohammed.

    Mohammed resigned as Minister of Environment to take up the job of Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

  • Federal University Lokoja graduates 200, to immotalize Ocholi

    Federal University Lokoja graduates 200, to immotalize Ocholi

    The Federal University Lokoja (FUL) said it will on Saturday honour the late Minister of State for Labour, Barr. James Ocholi (SAN), during it’s convocation ceremony, where 200 of the pioneer students will be awarded degrees.

    Briefing reporters at the mini campus in Adankolo, ahead of the convocation ceremony, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Angela F. Miri, said that the school took the decision to immotalize the late federal minister who hailed from Kogi State, to serve as motivation in the pursuit of excellence and dedication to service.

    She announced the naming of the school’s proposed School of Post Graduate Studies, after Ocholi, a decision she said had been communicated to the authorities at the Federal Ministry of Education.

    “We want to do this, to immotalize him and to immotalize his memory. He was a good servant of the state, and a good servant and illustrious son of this country. The Federal Ministry of Education has already given the go-ahead for this, and our School of Post Graduate Studies will be named after him”, she said.

    Others to be honoured include Alhaji (Dr) Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idriss, the first Chancellor of the university and Emir of Fika and Senator Tunde Ogbeha.

    She explained that the N5 billion endowment fund launched August this year is a continuous thing, to be channelled for the development of the university.

  • “Ocholi’s driver had no license”

    “Ocholi’s driver had no license”

    The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, on Wednesday disclosed that the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Barrister James Ocholi died as a result of over speeding.

    The Corps Marshal said this while presenting the accident’s Road Traffic Crash Investigation Interim Report to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday at the meeting of the body at the presidential villa in Abuja.

    Oyeyemi stated that the Corps could not find the details of Ocholi’s driver on its database and thus declared that the driver had no license.

    Members of the Federal executive Council (FEC) led by President Muhammadu Buhari are expected to visit the family of the late minister after the meeting.

    President Buhari and some selected ministers paid glowing tributes to their fallen colleagues, just as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal said Ocholi’s burial may hold between 16th and 18th of March, 2016.

  • Buhari mourns Ocholi

    Buhari mourns Ocholi

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday expressed shock and sadness over the death of the Minister of State for Labour, Barrister James Ocholi(SAN).

    Ocholi with his wife and son were killed in a car crash in Abuja on Sunday.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described Ocholi’s death as untimely, regretting that Nigeria has 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,” President Buhari said.

    He said that the late minister of state in the few months he had been in office had already begun to distinguish himself through his commitment and dedication to his portfolio.

    The late Ocholi has had a long record of political association with President Buhari.

    President Buhari also consoled with the government and people of Kogi State, whom he described as having lost a distinguished and irreplaceable son.

    He prayed that God would comfort them 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,” he said.

    President Buhari has also sent the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engineer David Babachir to formally convey the news to members of the deceased family as well as parishioners in his place of worship.

  • Strike: Health workers shelve proposed strike

    Strike: Health workers shelve proposed strike

    … Extend ultimatum to FG by 21 days

    The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) on Thursday shelved their planned nationwide strike action earlier slated to begin on Thursday.

    The workers extended the ultimatum issued to the Federal Government by 21 days.

    The strike was put on hold following a successful meeting between the government and the leadership of the union on Wednesday.

    Minister of State for Labour, Mr. James Ocholi, led the government team to the meeting.

    The union appealed to its members to exercise restraint and give the government a chance to address the issues raised at the meeting.

    The leadership of the union, however, asked members to be at alert and prepared for action should the government renege on its promise to meet with their demands.

    The health workers had vowed to cripple activities in all federal government health institutions nationwide at the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum should government fail to meet their 10- point demands.

    The ultimatum expired on Wednesday.

    But the union said at a press briefing in Abuja, Thursday that it has decided to give the government another chance to address the issues.

    JOHESU National Chairman, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, said the union executives decided to show they are sensitive to the prevailing situation in the country and  give the administration the chance to fulfill its promise.

     

  • Ocholi: Kogi APC should put its house in order

    Ocholi: Kogi APC should put its house in order

    The National Deputy Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), James Ocholi (SAN), spoke with James Azania on the way out of the crisis in the Kogi chapter and other issues.

    What is the fate of the APC in Kogi State?

    It is a very pitiable situation. One or two persons, who claim to leaders of the APC in Kogi State, are frustrating the fortunes of the party. The governor is not performing. He had no idea of governance before he came and unfortunately, even after a man like Prof. Idachaba chaired the committee to produce a blueprint for him, he could not implement it to bring about transformation. What we are seeing in Kogi State is a sorry sight. Many teachers are not being paid regularly. It is a sorry sight for Kogi State. I hardly would want to talk about it these days because I am a professional. I do well in my job. I enjoy my job and I thought by giving quality attention one could correct a bit. Some people like Prince Abubakar Audu, who does not know when to throw in the towel; he behaves as if it’s not him, no other person can become the governor of Kogi State. Some of us did our best to build credible democrats, who have the idea of good governance. But, the old way of doing things is tainted by corruption. We went to do congress. Some people came to scuttle it. Today, the  APC is in limbo. That’s the basic truth. The party is in limbo in Kogi State. Even if we win the Presidency next year, how much benefit would acrue to Kogi State from the centre? Maybe, the allocation, the normal one, will come. Apart from that, what else can you tap into? You need to have a governor, a leader who can tap into so many things other than allocation. There are many things at the federal level other than the monthly allocation. Too many things.

    What about the National Assembly members from the state?

    The National Assembly members that we have, how are they relating with the governor? You have nine members of the House of Representatives, you have three senators. That is twelve. How are they relating with the governor? How  is he maximising the offices they hold for the benefit of Kogi State? Any office anybody holds at the federal level must be for the benefit of  his constituency. But, the APC is in limbo at the moment. We are working. We are asking the APC national executive to help us. Once we do that and the national executive begins to correct the anomalies, it doesn’t take more than a month to build a party for an election because the indices are right. If our governor is an extremely performing governor, then, we’ll have problem. But, he is not. Once the APC is able to put their acts together in Kogi State, we don’t have problem.

    You sounded very confident about your party winning the presidential election. What is the secret?

    I won’t tell you. It’s in our chest. But, the APC in Kogi does not seem set for such optimism. It’s not set because the party is in limbo. I have told you already that the party is in crisis.

    Are you worried that Prince Abubakar gave a clean bill of health to the current governor?

    He is already campaigning for Wada now. So, he has become the campaign manager for Wada.

     

  • Ocholi: Kogi APC should put its house in order

    Ocholi: Kogi APC should put its house in order

    The National Deputy Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), James Ocholi (SAN), spoke with James Azania on the way out of the crisis in the Kogi chapter and other issues.

    What is the fate of the APC in Kogi State?

    It is a very pitiable situation. One or two persons, who claim to leaders of the APC in Kogi State, are frustrating the fortunes of the party. The governor is not performing. He had no idea of governance before he came and unfortunately, even after a man like Prof. Idachaba chaired the committee to produce a blueprint for him, he could not implement it to bring about transformation. What we are seeing in Kogi State is a sorry sight. Many teachers are not being paid regularly. It is a sorry sight for Kogi State. I hardly would want to talk about it these days because I am a professional. I do well in my job. I enjoy my job and I thought by giving quality attention one could correct a bit. Some people like Prince Abubakar Audu, who does not know when to throw in the towel; he behaves as if it’s not him, no other person can become the governor of Kogi State. Some of us did our best to build credible democrats, who have the idea of good governance. But, the old way of doing things is tainted by corruption. We went to do congress. Some people came to scuttle it. Today, the  APC is in limbo. That’s the basic truth. The party is in limbo in Kogi State. Even if we win the Presidency next year, how much benefit would acrue to Kogi State from the centre? Maybe, the allocation, the normal one, will come. Apart from that, what else can you tap into? You need to have a governor, a leader who can tap into so many things other than allocation. There are many things at the federal level other than the monthly allocation. Too many things.

    What about the National Assembly members from the state?

    The National Assembly members that we have, how are they relating with the governor? You have nine members of the House of Representatives, you have three senators. That is twelve. How are they relating with the governor? How  is he maximising the offices they hold for the benefit of Kogi State? Any office anybody holds at the federal level must be for the benefit of  his constituency. But, the APC is in limbo at the moment. We are working. We are asking the APC national executive to help us. Once we do that and the national executive begins to correct the anomalies, it doesn’t take more than a month to build a party for an election because the indices are right. If our governor is an extremely performing governor, then, we’ll have problem. But, he is not. Once the APC is able to put their acts together in Kogi State, we don’t have problem.

    You sounded very confident about your party winning the presidential election. What is the secret?

    I won’t tell you. It’s in our chest. But, the APC in Kogi does not seem set for such optimism. It’s not set because the party is in limbo. I have told you already that the party is in crisis.

    Are you worried that Prince Abubakar gave a clean bill of health to the current governor?

    He is already campaigning for Wada now. So, he has become the campaign manager for Wada.

  • Court dismisses appeals against Wada’s election

    Court dismisses appeals against Wada’s election

    The Court of Appeal, Abuja, on Wednesday threw out two different appeals challenging the election of Kogi State Governor, Ibrahim Wada.

    In a unanimous judgment, the court declined jurisdiction and held that since the issues raised in both appeals related to election matters, the proper forum was the election tribunal.

    The judgment was on the appeals by the Congress for Progressive Change’s (CPC) governorship candidate, James Ocholi, (SAN) and the All Nigerian People Party (ANPP).

    The court had in an earlier decision, refused a similar appeal by Jilbrin Isah, a member of Wada’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Justice I.T.A. George-Mbama, in the lead judgment, upheld an earlier decision by the Federal High Court on the ground that the trial court was right in dismissing the suit jointly filed by the appellant and from which the appeal was raised.

    Justice George-Mbama frowned at the decision of the two appellants to file two separate appeals when they jointly filed the case as plaintiffs at the trial court.

    “The second appeal is similar to the one earlier decided. The parties are the same. At the lower court they were together.

    “They have similar interest. They still have the same interest even in the appeal. It is therefore surprising to see them file different appeals. This is an unwholesome practice as it had overburdened the court.

    “The mere fact that a federal agency is a party does not make it a case for a Federal High Court. It is the issue in dispute and the law that determine jurisdiction,” Justice George-Mbama held.