Ocholi, a great legal icon and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, died on Sunday together with his wife and son in a ghastly motor accident along Abuja – Kaduna road.
In a statement issued in Abuja by his Media Adviser, Michael Jegede, Senator Abatemi-Usman, who represented Kogi Central Senatorial District in the seventh Senate, said Ocholi would be remembered for his enormous contributions to law practice and democracy in Nigeria.
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The former lawmaker said: “We received with great shock the news of the untimely death of our brother, Barrister James Ocholi, an illustrious son of Kogi State and Minister of State for Labour and Employment. Kogi has lost a great man!
“Ocholi’s demise is not only a tragic loss to his immediate family, but also to Kogi State and Nigeria as a whole. He is a vibrant gentleman who left no stone unturned to make significant impact in his chosen profession and contribute greatly to the sustenance of democracy in the country.
” The whole world watched and saw how he proved his worth as a brilliant and consummate lawyer with high intelligence in the last ministerial screening at the Senate and we were proud to have him as a nominee from Kogi State.
” He has, since his confirmation as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria last year, been an outstanding member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet. We have, indeed, lost a rare gem. We can only ask God to grant us the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss while praying for his peaceful repose and that of his wife and son who unfortunately died with him in the fatal auto accident. ”