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  • Torrents of tributes pour for Labour leader Kokori

    Torrents of tributes pour for Labour leader Kokori

    • President, governors, NADECO chieftains, unionists, pro-democracy activists mourn
    • Family ‘regrets’ patriarch’s passage

    Torrents of tributes poured in yesterday for former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori.

    The elder statesman, who was a foremost figure in the struggle against the annulment of the June 12, 1983 presidential election, died in the early hours of yesterday. He would have turned 80 yesterday.

    His death at a hospital in Warri, Delta State, was confirmed by his Personal Assistant, Atawada.

    The tributes came from politicians, pro-democracy activists, unionists and human rights crusaders. They all eulogised the virtues of the late unionists who rallied oil sector workers to rise against the abortion of the election widely adjudged as Nigeria’s freest and fairest in 1993.

    They include: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Delta State Governor Sheriff Francis Oborevwori; former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege; Senator Ede Dafinone, and the various unions. 

    Elder statesman and General Secretary of the defunct National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Chief Ayo Opadokun, described the late Kokori as “a rare ideological specimen in trade unionism and the democratic struggle”.

    In his tribute, Opadokun wrote: “He (Kokori) was a rare nationalist, committed ideologue, genuine patriot who risked even his own career and family comfort as well as possible prospect to speak truth to power on behalf of the down-trodden Nigerians.

    “Comrade Kokori was well educated and well trained in the management of human resources to balance up with capital for productive growth of the state economy.”

    The elder statesman said the late Kokori’s sagacity and courageous leadership came to national limelight much more in 1993-1994 through to 1998.

    Opadokun said: “As the General Secretary of NUPENG, which was registered in 1978, Kokori played a pivotal role in making the organisation to become the most critical trade union in the democratic struggle of Nigerians to restore democracy.”

    He recounted how the late Kokori was enticed with tantalising offers from the administrations of self-styled military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, and the late Gen. Sani Abacha, but he rejected all allurements.

    Read Also: NUPENG mourns ex-secretary, Kokori

    The tribute added: “When the NLC, under Comrade Paschal Bafyau, became unwilling to pressure the military junta to disannul the victory of Basorun MKO Abiola in 1994, Comrade Kokori and his NUPENG President, Comrade W. Kodjo Agamene, mobilised their union along with NUBIFIE and other democratic bodies to organise the most prolonged national strike in post-independence Nigeria.

    “Comrade Kokori and I, as the General Secretary of NADECO, met many times at odd times to fine-tune their strategy and commencement of the strike. When he was arrested through the conspiracy of an insider in Yaba, he was taken eventually to Bama Prison for four years without any charge against him.”

    The elder statesman regretted that although the eventual exit of Kokori may be as ordained by God, the erstwhile unionist could have tarried for awhile more, if he got the required government care, support and welfare when he most needed them.

    Opadokun also said Kokori suffered the painful loss of his wife later on and the Nigerian state did not deem it fit to recognise the selfless and patriotic commitment of the comrade to the nation’s democratic struggle.

    “The most painful part of the national neglect of those who lost their sweat, blood, possessions, liberties and even lives in order to birth the Fourth Republic is their wanton abandonment to their fates while the fair weather elements who remain surrogates, loyalists, sympathisers, acolytes and supporters of the military agenda to stay in power are the beneficiaries of the gains of the activists,” the former NADECO chieftain said.

    Exist of a bastion of inspiration Governor Oborevwori described late Kokori as “a bastion of inspiration, Labour icon and a man of great political depth and insight”.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Sir Festus Ahon, the governor noted Kokori’s immense contribution to the development of the state and country at large.

    Oborevwori said: “As a government, we were committed to ensuring that the now late elder statesman got back to his feet, but unfortunately, against the grain of our expectation, he couldn’t make it back from the hospital.

    “On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I mourn the exit of a great elder statesman, Kokori, whose contributions to the June 12 struggle and Nigeria’s democracy remain an inspiration to many.

    “As the nation mourns him, I enjoin the Kokori family, friends and associates to honour his memory by continually upholding the values and principles which he lived for and never stopped fighting for till his death.”

    Keyamo mourns ‘father-in-struggle’

    Aviation/Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo also mourned “the passing away of my father-in-the-struggle, my mentor and my guide.”

    He recalled that when the late Kokori was in solitary confinement in Bama Prison for his struggle for the restoration of the June 12 mandate nearly 30 years ago, “I personally represented him in various courts, fighting for his freedom.”

    The minister said he became an adopted ‘son’ of his (Kokori’s) family.

    “His late wife and children were constantly in court with me and I would spend time in their home in Surulere.

    “I would team up with him years later in the APC family in Delta State to struggle to liberate our state. He lived in the struggle and died in the struggle. This is definitely the end of an era,” Keyamo said.

    For the Coalition of Pro-Democracy for A Better Nigeria, the country has lost democracy’s live wire and June 12 activist with the demise of Kokori.

    The National Coordinator of the Coalition, Mr. Awa Bamiji, in a statement in Lagos, said the late Kokori would be remembered for his contributions in the June 12, 1993 struggle.

    The activist said the coalition would not easily forget the impact of Kokori in the struggle for democracy in the country.

    Awa said: “Chief Kokori, who hails from Ovu in Agbin Kingdom, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, shall be remembered for union activism.

    “He will be remembered for his enviable roles in the struggle for the actualisation of June 12 presidential election, believed to have been won by late Chief M.K.O Abiola.”

    Also, the President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Mr. Tommy Okon, said Kokori’s death was very painful, especially at the present time of the labour movement when his wise counsel on labour issues were most needed.

    Okon, who doubles as the Deputy President of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), said: “The trade union movement will miss him seriously, but his contributions to the growth and development of the trade union movement in the country can never be forgotten.”

    The Programme Manager, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, a civil society organisation (CSO), Mr. Okeke Anya, also described Kokori’s death as very sad.

    “Chief Frank Kokori was not only a great labour leader but also a great patriot who fought for the entrenchment of democracy in the country. We console the family and pray that his soul rests with the Almighty,” Anya said.

    He lived a life of sacrifice, says NUPENG

    NUPENG President William Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale also mourned the late elder statesman, saying the ex-Labour leader spent his life in the struggle and sacrifice for workers’ emancipation.

    It’s a great loss to Nigeria, says Gani Adams

    The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Chief Gani Adams, said Kokori would be remembered for being part of the struggle for democracy.

    He described the death of the NADECO chieftain as a great loss to Nigerians, saying the late activist would be remembered for his struggle for the enthronement of Nigeria’s democracy.

    Aare Adams’ tribute on the late Kokori was contained in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi.

    The immediate past Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Sunny Areh, noted that Nigeria’s “democracy owes a lot to Kokori’s indefatigable spirit”.

    Senator Omo-Agege also eulogised Kokori as an advocate for the people and for accountable governance. He urged the current generation of Labour leaders to imbibe the inspiring and principled stand of their predecessors.

  • Tinubu mourns Kokori, describes ex-NUPENG chief as hero of June 12 struggle

    Tinubu mourns Kokori, describes ex-NUPENG chief as hero of June 12 struggle

    President Bola Tinubu has mourned the death of former secretary-general of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori.

    The late elder statesman, who was a foremost figure in the June 12 struggle, died in the early hours of Thursday, the day he was meant to be celebrating his 80th birthday anniversary.

    President Tinubu, who acknowledged the late Chief Kokori as a thoroughbred activist, who surrendered his liberty in the fight for truth and justice, also described him as a brother in the June 12 Struggle and an exemplary comrade.

    Read Also: Dafinone mourns Kokori, consoles family

    According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President condoled with the Kokori family, the civil society, the government, and the people of Delta State, over the deeply painful loss.

    President Tinubu described the former labour leader as a man of conscience; highly principled, courageous, and true.

    He said: “Frank Kokori was a thoroughbred democrat and activist. He fought for democracy at a great personal cost. He surrendered his liberty to fight for truth and justice. He was the finest among reformers and champions of civil rights in Nigeria.

    “He was a brother in the June 12 struggle. He was uncompromising, unbending, and irrepressible. He was an exemplary comrade.”

    President Tinubu, while praying for the repose of the soul of the deceased, encouraged those he left behind to take comfort in his peerless legacy.

  • Ex-union leader Kokori dies on 80th birthday

    Ex-union leader Kokori dies on 80th birthday

    Fiery elder statesman and former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori, has died after a month’s battle with a kidney-related ailment.

    He died coincidentally on his 80th birthday in the early hours of Thursday.

    His death, which was confirmed by doctors around 6:40 am, was announced by one of his personal assistants, Ovumedia Tobore, through an SMS.

    Tobore said Chief Kokori’s health relapsed on Monday and he was placed on life support.

    The octogenarian cried out from his hospital bed on November 9 that he had been neglected and abandoned to die despite his contributions to the growth of democracy in the country.

    Kokori, in a distress call, with a pain-filled voice around 12:40 am, lamented that life was ebbing out of him where he was receiving treatment for his kidney-related ailment.

    Kokori, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, particularly decried abandonment by NUPENG and the nation at a Warri hospital.

    He had also stated that he would not mind being flown  abroad for better medical care.

    Read Also: Heirs Insurance Group donates solar power station to Lagos Passport Office

    Chief Kokori’s November outcry attracted top government functionaries including Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, who paid an unexpected visit to him on Friday, November 11. Oborevwori picked up the bills as well as those of two other patients at the hospital.

    Officials of NUPENG, a delegation from former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege and several others also visited the former Labour leader.

    Follow-up reports on his response to the treatment had given hope that the octogenarian was recuperating and would return home soonest.

    Sadly, he had a relapse and later succumbed to the ailment on Thursday.

    Chief Kokori who authored the book, ‘Frank Kokori: The Struggle for June 12,’ hailed from Ovu community in Ethiope East council area of Delta State.

  • Kokori’s lamentations

    Kokori’s lamentations

    In what can appropriately pass for lamentations of a former powerful General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), especially during the June 12, 1993 political crisis in Nigeria, Chief Frank Kokori, a major face of that struggle, is today in pains. He cannot understand how a man like him, whose word was law in that dark era of the nation’s history could have been left or abandoned to his own device at a time he so badly needs the nation.

    Kokori, who has been sick for a while was hospitalised in Warri, Delta State, over kidney-related ailment.

    The elder statesman had told journalists that he was dying, having been abandoned on his hospital bed in a ‘third class’ health facility.

    The septuagenarian chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) told the journalists that they should announce to the world that he had died and risen. 

    “I have something to tell this country, please. Please, do your best. Tell the world that Kokori is dead and risen. The only man in Warri that can handle kidney problems is Horeb Hospital, Warri,” Kokori said. He added: “But I am facing other challenges. The air conditioner is not working…What a country! Mobilise yourselves. I have something to tell this country, please. Please, do your best.”

    Chief Kokori is particularly irked with NUPENG. “I’ve called on NUPENG that this is what they’ve done to their leaders. That NUPENG could not even take care of me. It’s sad. God bless everybody,” he concluded the ‘press briefing’.

    Without doubt, Chief Kokori’s contribution to the exit of soldiers from our political life cannot be denied; not even by those who may not like his face or his guts. When NUPENG sneezed in the course of the June 12 struggle, even the then military rulers caught cold. The late head of state, General Sani Abacha, in particular would not forget Kokori in a hurry if only the dead could see. Several times Kokori called out the powerful NUPENG out on strike and several times did he succeed. Without petroleum products that were NUPENG’s source of strength, it was a matter of time for socio-economic activities to be paralysed nationwide whenever Kokori barked. 

    As a matter of fact, the military rulers at some point began to see him as an irritant and pollutant that should be kept out of circulation in their interest. 

    Read Also: How Tinubu is fighting insecurity, by Gbajabiamila

    For a man who did so much to enthrone democratic rule that we are enjoying today, is Kokori asking for too much?

    The answer is neither here nor there. While some may see his statement as an unwarranted sense of entitlement, others are likely to see it as normal, especially in our kind of clime that does not often reward diligence and hard work. The fact is; many people are working in Nigeria today, but how many earn salaries that can actually take them home? It is only people who earn living wage that can talk of saving for the future. 

    Save for some of our athletes who are generally rewarded either by the government, corporate organisations or philanthropic individuals, many others have nothing to fall back on even after working for years. Hence, their resort to appeals to whoever might have been led in the spirit to help them in their hour of need.

    But such ‘indecent’ begging would have been unnecessary if only there are safety valves. These are generally lacking in the country, whether for the old or young; the able or the physically challenged. 

    We commend Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori who transcended partisan walls to visit and pay his bills. Not even his APC chieftains in the state or on the federal level has woken up to his emergency.

    Septuagenarians like Kokori can no longer fend for themselves. They should be taken care of by the government. This is where a thing like health insurance comes in. While those in paid employment contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to this scheme, and can therefore access medical care at affordable charges, the aged should be fully taken care of by the government.

    We are aware that some help has reached Chief Kokori, probably after he cried out over his plight. Commendable as this is; it is not enough. We need institutional frameworks to take care of a case like this.

  • Kokori recovering fast, maybe discharged soon, says Aide

    Kokori recovering fast, maybe discharged soon, says Aide

    Elder statesman and erstwhile Secretary-General of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori, is responding to treatment for his kidney-related ailment.

    The former labour leader and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain had disclosed from his hospital bed in Warri, Delta State on Thursday that he was on the verge of death and had been abandoned.

    The outcry led to unexpected visits from the Governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, officials of NUPENG and the Senator representing Delta Central, Olorogun Ede Dafinone.

    Read Also: I’m dying on hospital bed, says ex-NUPENG scribe Frank Kokori

    Kokori’s Personal Assistant, Tobore Obumedia, in a phone chat with The Nation, said from all indications and reports from the medical team, the octogenarian may be discharged in a little over a week’s time.

    Asked if the elder statesman was responding to treatment, Obumedia said: “Certainly! For now, I can say he is having quick recovery with respect to the medical team and God. So far so good, let’s say he’s had about 50% recovery and God being on our side, Chief will recover soon.

  • Install Kokori

    • Ngige must immediately install the democracy hero as NSITF chair

    LABOUR and employment minister, Dr. Chris Ngige’s rather belligerent explanation, of his absence at the 2019 May Day parade, at Eagle’s Square, Abuja, is a classic of how not to write a ministerial response. ”Contrary to uncivilised attitude and barefaced lies contained in the address of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba,” Ngige’s special assistant on media, Nwachukwu Obidiwe, had written, “I wish to state for the avoidance of doubt that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Ngige, was absent at yesterday’s Worker’s Day rally for ill-health reasons.”  There is no love lost between the minister and Organised Labour. Things are especially chilly between the minister and Ayuba Wabba’s NLC. But descending into bruising insults and acute combativeness sit rather ill with civil ministerial communication, even at the height of provocations.

    In a democracy, the minister is no one’s master; only a public servant, paid by tax payers, to minister to a public need. That comes with humility and sensitivity; with little or no place for obduracy. However, the NLC too must be civil with the minister, no matter how sharp their disagreement with him is.

    Still, the root of the Ngige-NLC hostility can be traced to obduracy – Minister Ngige’s refusal to inaugurate Frank Ovie Kokori as the board chair of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    In November 2017, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had named Chief Kokori as the chair of the NSITF board. More than one year after, the minister is yet to inaugurate one of the heroes of Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggles.

    The closest to a development on that front was the minister’s announcement of another board, allegedly approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, chaired by Austin Enajemo-Isire, a “chartered accountant, professional insurance executive and banker”. This announcement claimed Chief Kokori had been moved to chair the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, Kwara State.

    But Organised Labour, led by the NLC, sensing ministerial hanky-panky, kicked against the development and insisted Kokori be installed forthwith. Its last ultimatum was before May Day 2019. Indeed, an April 18 attempt by the minister, to inaugurate the other NSITF board under Enajemo-Isire, met with stiff Labour opposition, with NLC storming the venue. The event was hurriedly cancelled. That led to another media fusillade between the minister and Labour, with the minister alleging NLC “thugs” raided the venue to stall the event. But NLC took serious exception to that charge, saying its president and other followers were no “thugs”.

    NLC is on solid ground to stand up for Kokori to claim his NSITF board chair. But the principal voice that must be heard here is that of President Buhari. Is it true that he appointed another NSITF chair? Or is the so-called appointment no more than ministerial rascality, to keep Kokori from the chair? The president should move in and clear the air. Mix-ups like these only give his administration a bad name.

    Chief Kokori did too much for the pro-democracy cause, staking all when all hope seemed lost under General Sani Abacha’s draconic regime, to be treated shabbily, even after 16 years of waiting for any acknowledgement for his valour. As it was during Nigeria’s independence, those who toiled hardest for the return of democracy in 1999 were the least served, given the triumph of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Still, Chief Kokori maintained his calm and dignity, all through those years. It would be frightfully unfair to stop him now – or even stall him, as the minister is doing.

    Dr. Ngige, perhaps more than anyone, should realise all these. First, he should know that when others were cutting deals with the military, Kokori was among the few that paid the price; and chased the military away. Then, the minister, a victim of political injustice before, should be wary of inflicting such on anyone. When some thugs in Anambra State tried to force him out of office as Anambra State governor, the whole country virtually rose to defend his cause.

    No matter the advertised expertise of Mr. Enajemo-Isire, Kokori should not be denied the honour due him. That is why the minister must go ahead to inaugurate his board without much ado – even if the president has to give him a rude push.

  • It’s triumph of truth over injustice, says Kokori

    Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, One-time Executive Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) which chamoioned the actualisation of the June 12 1993 election,  and an arrowhead of the June 12 Movement, described the presidential action as the triumph of truth over injustice.

    Kokori said:  ”First of all I thank God for everything, I thank God that today the country has finally come to end that big controversy about June 12 and May 29. We expected that during the eight years of President Obasanjo, with the pressure at that time, with Gani Fawehinmi still alive, he would declare that day the democracy day and make it a public holiday.

    “I am the happiest man in this country today because I now realise that the struggle we made, especially my union; NUPENG and PENGASSAN, was not in vain and most of us who suffered terrible deprivation at that time. I am happy to be alive this day.

    “Before it used to be only Lagos and some Yoruba state that were recognising June 12, but now it is a national holiday.

    “This is to say that no matter how long injustice lasts, at the end of the day, goodness and truth will triumph. That is what has happened to us today. “

  • The Kokori I know

    I am totally shocked at a certain article I read on page 3 and 41 of The Nation, precisely on Monday, March 26. The writer, Darlington Anule in his opinion titled, ‘‘Between Ngige’s One-Man Show And The Blind Eagle Eye’’ misguidedly sought to ridicule and demean the good image of Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, a former General Secretary of one of the most powerful union in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, (NUPENG).

    Ordinarily, there wouldn’t have been any need for me to respond to this but for the sake of posterity. Besides, this is an individual who I deputized, when he held sway as NUPENG General Secretary, therefore I have informed and dispassionate views about who he truly is.

    Sadly, this unfair commentary came when some of us are becoming so curious and worried that six months after the appointment of Chief Frank Kokori as chairman of Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has chosen not to inaugurate the board despite the directive from President Muhammadu Buhari. Yet, in the middle of that, some people flippantly derived pleasure in disparaging Chief Kokori. This is needless, and totally unacceptable.

    Chief Kokori that I know was never associated with corruption in all the offices he had previously occupied in life, neither was he known for covering or abetting corruption. Here is a man who voluntarily resigned from Oil Mineral Producing Area Development Commission (OMPADEC) the precursor to today’s Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) when he became dissatisfied with some activities that were capable of soiling his name and integrity which made him sacrifice all what the office was legitimately offering him at that time. This attitude of his was applauded by many who knew him for his firmness and uncompromising standpoint. That was really significant because that decision came at a time when resignation from such high profile office was almost an impossible thing to do; it was a phenomenon that was totally alien to our clime.

    The Kokori I know is an alumnus of University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s premier university, the prestigious Institute of Social Studies, The Hague Netherland (ISS) where he bagged a Master’s degree (M.A) in Labour and Development Studies (1984). Frank Kokori was also conferred with the prestigious title of fellowship of the Petroleum Training Institute (FPTI). Until the end of 1999, he dominated the labour – management relations of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry for 22 years as the Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), perhaps Nigeria’s most powerful and visible trade union of that era.

    The Kokori I know is a recipient of several national and international awards, a hero of democracy, amongst them was the all-time revered George Meany Labour/Human Right award by the American Federation of labour/Congress of Industrial Organisation (AFL/CIO) for the most outstanding Labour Leader in the world for 1996. And the winner of Febe Elizabeth Valasquez Trade Union/Human Right award of the Dutch Labour Federation (FNV) for the most outstanding Labour Activist and Human Right Crusader in the world for 1998. Without contradiction, Frank Kokori was adjudged and acclaimed a world Prisoner of Conscience by two world icons of the 20th and 21st centuries, of blessed memory the highly revered Madiba, Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Pope Saint John Paul II in 1997.

    Other renowned world institutions that also proclaimed Kokori a notable world prisoner of conscience include:  The international Labour Organisation (ILO) based in Geneva Switzerland, Amnesty International (AI) along with Big Labour Federations across the globe between the period, August 1994 – June 1998 during the regime of General Sani Abacha, the late military dictator. We have facts to show where Kokori was locked up in the notorious Bama prison in solitary confinement for four consecutive years. During this period no charges were preferred against him neither was he tried in any court of competent jurisdiction known to law.

    It is really appalling to see such a man who enjoys enviable and high profile laurels, honours and accolades internationally from credible and reputable individuals and great institutions and organizations, only for him in his home country to be vilified through tissues of lies, innuendos and propaganda.

    I would like to remind Darlington Anule, and others who think like him that whilst it is an extension of the rights of the writer to pen down opinions on topical national issues, it is however important for him to get his facts right and do his due diligence by way of investigation or by interviewing the concerned individual instead of going to press and writing fictitious conjecture with passion and sentiments.

    I found it crucial to state emphatically here that the Nigerian state was replete with courageous voices like that of Chief Frank Kokori from the labour movement, especially that of NUPENG. Kokori painstakingly fought against all antithetical elements in democracy, fought for social justice, equity and fairness, fought for and still fighting for workers’ welfare without looking back.

    Despite the ravages of military might, despite the tyrannical occupation of streets by anti-democratic characters, Chief Kokori heroically stood between the oppressed and the oppressors. The events of June 12 still resonate in our memories and cannot go away so quickly. The Kokori I know will be remembered for the pivotal roles he played in the protests against the annulment of the 1993 election and other anti-labour policies.

    It is also on record that the Abacha-led regime offered Kokori ‘juicy’ appointments and cash gifts – in the real sense – which the labour leader rejected in the face of intimidation and military dictatorship. He stood firm on his pro-democracy principles; he did not compromise but put his life at risk and strengthened the union in the interest of Nigerians. Darlington should also know that Kokori equally fought for freedom of speech and expression which he (the writer) is enjoying today.

    The use of the media to make snarky remarks or to display sarcasm to overheat the polity must be condemned and eschewed at all times. I urge all well-meaning Nigerians to consider every desperate fabrication against Chief Frank Ovie Kokoro baseless and take them with a pinch of salt.

    Kokori’s laudable and meritorious antecedent has consistently made him to be a beautiful bride to all and sundry. He will never be part of corruption or any group or groups that have mismanaged the fortunes and opportunities of the country in very acquisitive manner. Chief Frank Ovie Kokoro is very pleased to be the chairman of NSITF; and will ever be grateful to the President for having such a credible platform to display his unique leadership credentials once again for his motherland, Nigeria.

    I urge Darlington Anule to do the honourable thing by apologizing to the elder statesman, Chief Kokori. Honestly he doesn’t deserve such insult, he is one Nigerian who should be celebrated and not disparaged, judging from his impeccable track records and sacrifices which have over time made Nigeria an indivisible and liveable entity for us all.

    I am also using this medium to crave the indulgence of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, not to allow himself to be used by anyone to distort the wheel of progress in Nigeria. My hope and wish is to see Chief Kokori formally and officially inaugurated as the new board chairman of NSITF and very soon too. He is capable of clearing any mess that may have taken place and prevent other ones.

     

    • Hon Akinlaja is chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream and former Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress.

  • Tension in Kokori over killing London-based octogenarian

    There was fear yesterday among residents of Kokori in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, following the killing of 88-year-old London-based Chief Gilbert Oshevire.

    Oshevire was allegedly strangled to death between Friday night and Saturday at his 1 Ediagbon Street.

    The motive or masterminds of the killing could not be established at the time going to press last night.

    But it was gathered that the incident has caused serious panic among the residents.

    Speaking with our reporter yesterday, a prominent leader in the community who spoke in confidence, said the octogenarian was in the town to resolve an issue.

    He said: “Chief Oshevire was last seen alive on Friday night after he retired for the night. He resided in London but came home on the invitation of the Kokori Council of Chiefs about some issues, especially a case he instituted against some of his kinsmen in London.

    “The leaders of Kokori invited him to come home so that the issue, which bothers on some financial transactions, could be resolved amicably.”

    Police spokesman Andrew Aniaka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the report.

    He said the police had arrested one suspect.

    Aniamaka told our reporter on telephone that the victim was found by his nephew, Donald Oshevire.

    “He (Donald) said blood was coming out of the victim’s mouth and there were signs that the room had been ransacked,” the police spokesman added.

    It was gathered that the issues for which Oshevire was invited could not be resolved as the key players in the conflict did not turn up.

    The source said: “A meeting was fixed for December 5 but the others did not show up. It was while waiting for further development he was mysterious killed last night (Saturday).

    “His body has been deposited by the police at a mortuary in Kokori. But as we speak, arrangements are being made to transfer his remains to another morgue outside the area.”

    It was gathered that the circumstance surrounding his death angered his clan, who are alleging foul plays.

  • Kokori urges UPU to support APC

    The Urhobo Leaders Integrity Group has urged the leadership of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) to support the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)in Delta State, Olorogun Ortega Emerhor.

    Its co-ordinator and former Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, in a statement at an enlarged meeting of the group, said the Uvwiamuge Declaration was between two major political parties, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP.

    The group met at Oviorie-Ovu, Ethiope East local government Area.

    The group said: “We can see that the Urhobo nation is at a crossroads and any faulty move now will perpetually put our people in jeopardy. The last eight years of the Uduaghan government had been particularly harrowing for the Urhobo nation, and between the six years of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Urhobo has had much humiliation and uncaring contempt.

    “Our worries today are the different signals of double languages we are receiving from our great UPU against the Uvwiamuge Declaration to either support any of the major political parties between All Progressive Congress or the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and not Labour Party as it is being rumoured.

    “UPU, which is 83 years old, cannot be left solely to the whims and caprices of leaders who will speak in tongues whenever it suits them. We say no, as the Urhobo nation today has two illustrious sons as governorship candidates, Chief O’tega Emerhor of APC, a major political party and a sole beneficiary of the Uvwiamuge Declaration and Chief Great Ogboru of Labour Party, a mushroom party and a repository of failed aspirants of the PDP.”