By Idris Abiodun Usman
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Barrister James Eneojo Ocholi, who died alongside his wife and son in a ghastly car accident on Abuja-Kaduna road on Sunday, would have been alive today if the government of the day had lived up to its responsibility.
Nigerian roads have, today, become deathtrap, as thousands of Nigerians die on daily basis in auto crashes across the country. And the All Progressives Congress ( APC) government seems not to give a damn. The federal government keeps dishing out austerity measures which include cutting costs of road construction and maintenance, with the flimsy excuse of saving money.
The blood of Barr. James Ocholi, his wife and son, including several other Nigerians who have lost their lives in avoidable road accidents as a result of the bad state of our roads, will surely rise up against the Nigerian Government. In the last nine months, the APC had done nothing to improve the lives of Nigerians or provide necessary infrastructure.
The death of the Labour Minister and his family is a sharp reminder of the failure and negligence of the government. President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and their families fly within and around the country in first-class aircrafts, while the rest of Nigerians die in road crashes. The government has no excuse for not fixing the nation’s bad roads.
I call on President Muhammadu Buhari and his government to put an end to this menace by initiating an immediate repair of the Abuja-Kaduna road and several other bad roads across the country, to avoid further loss of lives.
The death of Barr. James Ocholi is a monumental loss not only to his family, kinsmen and Kogi State, but to Nigeria and the entire world. The vacuum that has been created by his death will take eternity to fill.
May God save Nigeria from irresponsible government and leaders!
– Comrade Idris Abiodun Usman
Credit: Leadership
