Why Ocholi's driver may face prosecution
Following the revelation made on March 9 by the Federal Road Safety
Commission (FRSC) that the driver of the late Minister of State (Labour
and Employment) James Ocholi does not have a driver license, the Federal
Government has made its stance known.
READ ALSO: Ocholi: Nigeria has lost a bright mind – Mark
The Nation reports that the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal, who spoke with State House
correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
meeting, on March 9, said the driver of the Lexus SUV, James Elegbede,
in which Ocholi died, may face prosecution.
He said an interim report of the FRSC alleged that Elegbede was over
speeding and had no license, adding that the final report on the
accident will determine if he will be prosecuted or not.
“As to the issue of whether we would prosecute the driver, yes, Nigeria
is not short of laws; the problem is that Nigerians find it very
difficult to obey the laws.
“There is a speed limit in place and so if anybody chooses not to obey
the traffic laws, of course, it is subject to prosecution by the
agencies concerned. But as to this particular incident, I think we will
leave it until the final report of the investigation comes out.
“But, of course, as we say, accident is accident and nobody goes out
deliberately to summersault and die, but as to allegations you claimed
from the family, we are not aware and anybody who has anything to the
contrary – that they didn’t die in an accident – is free to report to
the law enforcement agencies who will appropriately take it up,” he
said.
The SGF, however, clarified that the federal government did not give
automatic employment and scholarship benefits to the driver’s relatives
and other surviving victims because they are alive and still on the
government’s payroll.
“The government decided to give employment to the children of the late
minister because he was the breadwinner and the children are now
orphans. On the other hand, the driver survived and the government is
taking care of their medical bills at the National Hospital and they are
also government workers as some of them are policemen, SSS operatives
and others.
READ ALSO: Late James Ocholi to be buried next week
“So they are on salary and are treated free, but God forbids that had
any of them suffered the same fate as those who died, the President
would have willingly included them on the list of beneficiaries,” Lawal
said.
Ocholi, his wife, Blessing; son, Joshua and driver died along the
Kaduna-Abuja Expressway on March 6, in a ghastly car accident. The
relatives of late minister is, however, suspecting foul play in the
tragedy that befell them.
The Punch reports that during a condolence visit from Dr Chris Ngige,
the minister of Labour, the relatives of the deceased- Ocholi’s uncle,
Abdallah Aliu; another relative, Paul Audu; and the immediate younger
sister to the late Blessing Ocholi requested that the driver of the car
should be investigated.
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