The
late Minister of State for Labour and Employment James Ocholi, must have died
due to an accident caused by over speeding, the Federal Road Safety Commission
(FRSC) said yesterday.
Ocholi
died alongside his wife and son on Sunday on the Kaduna-Abuja road.
FRSC
Corps Marshal Boboye Oyeyemi presented the accident’s Road Traffic Crash
Investigation Interim Report to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting
presided over bbyy President Muhammadu Buhari.
The
FEC was holding a valedictory session in honour of the late minister.
Oyeyemi
also said that the impact of the accident was more on Ocholi and his
family members who were seated at the rear seats because they were not using
seat belts.
According
to him, the driver of the vehicle was unlicensed
He
said: “Information gathered revealed that the driver of the crashed vehicle was
actually moving at excess of the stipulated speed when he had a tyre burst.
“The
crashed vehicle driver was driving too fast and he slammed on his brake so
hard. These two factors materially contributed to the inability of the driver
to maintain control when the left rear tyre burst.
“Skid
marks and grooves found on the westbound shoulder made by the Lexus LX570 for
about 15m and 9.3m respectively before it began somersaulting several times and
the ejection of the minister and his son, showed clearly that the travelling
speed of the Lexus LX570 presented unsafe consequences in the event of certain
road risk that may have occurred.”
Oyeyemi
added: “The driver must have entered into a panic situation which resulted to
his hard application of brakes and subsequent loss of control that took him
into the bush path.
“The
DOT number of the tyres were inward which cannot easily be read from outside.
This indicate that the orientations of the tyres were not properly fixed, which
could adversely affect the performance of the tyres.
“The
Federal Road Safety Corps Investigation Team (FIT) determines that the probable
cause of the March 6, 2016 fatal crash at KM34 Kaduna -Abuja expressway near
Rijana village, Kaduna State was the driver’s failure to maintain directional
control of his vehicle when the rear left tyre burst occurred.
“Severity
of the fatality was increased due to the ejection of the minister and his son
as a result of non use of rear seat belt.
“The
corps recommended among other things, for “the certification and
re-certification of convoy drivers at intervals of two years of issuance of
convoy driver’s license.
“There
was no record on the driver’s licence national data base of the driver of the
Hon. Minister with the name Taiwo James Elegbede.”
“The
ejection of the minister and his son who occupied the rear seat confirmed the
fact that their rear seat belts were not in use and, on the contrary, the
driver and the orderly survived because the front seats belt were in use.”
The
FRSC chief said: “President Buhari is to lead the campaign on compliance with
speed limits, starting with installation of speed limiting devises in
commercial vehicles.”
Paying
tribute to the late minister, Buhari said: “I was quite close to Ocholi. I was
in same party with him in CPC and I began to respect his hardwork and humility.
When he attempted to be governor of his state, I campaigned for him almost
throughout all the local governments. But the system we are running, one will
always keep on trying. He didn’t make it.
“And
then the series of committees we were having. I recall one particular, ACN,
CPC, ANPP, I think APGA and DPP, he represented us and what impressed me about
him is that he agreed to serve under a junior lawyer to him.
“And
that showed a lot of humility because I know of two professions, legal and
military; they are very jealous about seniority… But he agreed to serve under a
junior ACN lawyer, him being a SAN.
“Even
his contribution here, whether they were memos from his ministry or not, he
made substantial contributions. May his soul rest in peace.”
Six
ministers from each geopolitical zones also paid tributes to the late Ocholi.
The
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, whom Ocholi worked directly
with, said his death was a colossal tragedy of unimaginable proportions.
He
said: “We interracted last on Friday. He was mediating in trade dispute with
JOHESU, health sector workers. His contributions usually stirred up
intellectual discourse.
“He
helped to fashion party constitution. He had capacity for hardwork and a good
negotiator.
Death has created a huge void in the Ministry of Labour and
Employment which is hard to fill.”
Minister
of State for Health Osagie Ehanire said: “He had initiative; he was methodical
and organized. He was a respectable man of character. Intensely serious, yet
jovial. He was a consummate negotiator.”
While
noting that Ocholi suffered severe injuries to the head, the Minister of
Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh said: “His joining the CPC in Kogi in the early days
showed his foresight and courage as opposition politics is not a party in the
park but a marathon in the desert.
“Apart
from being kind and resolute,” he said the late Ocholi literally suspended his
law practice to drive the All Progressives Congress (APC) merger.
He
noted that four persons from the accident were still on admission with various
degree of injuries.
According
to him, there will be automatic employment for two of the late Ocholi’s
children who are university graduates. Scholarship up to university level will
be given to the two remaining children who are students.
Buhari,
at the meeting, signed the condolence register.
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