The driver of the Lexus SUV in which Minister of State (Labour and Employment) James Ocholi died may face prosecution, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal, said yesterday.
Ocholi, his wife and son died in an accident on Sunday on the Kaduna-Abuja road.
Ocholi, his wife and son died in an accident on Sunday on the Kaduna-Abuja road.
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| THE LEXUS SUV THAT CRASHED AND KILLED THE MINISTER,HIS WIFE AND SON |
An interim report of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) claims that the driver, James Elegbede, was over speeding and had no license.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the SGF said the final report on the accident will determine if Elegbede will be prosecuted.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the SGF said the final report on the accident will determine if Elegbede will be prosecuted.
He said: “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.”
Lawal said the Federal Government did not extend 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.
He said: “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.
“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.”
Thenationonline cullage
I dont know whether to say I smell a rotten fish in all of this or to say this sucks,the whole report so far just sucks!!!
May God give the Ocholi Children left behind the strength to carry on....
Wait.
ReplyDeleteThe driver survived?
Wow!
That is all I saw, thank God.
DeleteBut I pray he doesn't go into instant coma after hearing this jaggons by the FRSC
The driver actually survived??? Then why on earth did they lie that he died in the hospital? Hian! Something indeed smells fishy...that means the Ocholi family is correct that the driver snapped those pics....wow! Just wow!
DeleteSame thing i was thinking; i thought they said he died. Hmmm
DeleteBut i read yesterday that the driver is dead.
DeleteHnnmmm this case us beginning to have funny twists and turns.
Lemme see how they will persecute a dead man... Rme
DeleteSo the driver didn't die?
DeleteWhy did they say he died then? Na wa o.
Who go investigate the crash wey my uncle for die na? This country sha.
OK this story don tire me
DeleteWhen they say people should buy cars with ACE they'll not listen, they'll rather go for the aerodynamic shaped luxurious ones. See as the car squeeze.
ReplyDeleteRIP to the dead
Please educate me on cars with ACE.
DeletePls what's an ACE. Kindly elaborate. Thank you.
DeleteACE is an Acronym for Advanced Compatibility Engineering. it is a name given to an automobile structure design. It distributes collision energy evenly and redirects it away from the passenger's compartment. At the same time it minimizes damages to other impacted vehicles.
DeleteThis ACE is a standard in some Japanese vehicles such as the Honda and Acura models as of 2012 till date except for the Honda Ridgeline.
Read about ACE in the Internet.
Hmmmm....
ReplyDeleteWhat has happened has happened rather than persecuting the driver why not the people that employed him knowing he was incompetent BC we were told he has no licence.
DeleteWhat about road safety do u guys stop and cross check the vehicles of these so called ministers on the road check to access their papers driving licences and all?? Nope I doubt so u also have a role to play.
Having no valid license at the point of accident doesn't mean that he cannot drive na. My license expired 5years ago and I'm yet to renew it. They should find something else to say abeg
DeleteEven when the said driver is dead
ReplyDeleteRubbish. I just dont want to angrily say what i dont want to say. Let me just keep quiet to avoid sounding inhuman cos he is not the first person to die in this country. He killed himself by not using seatbelt and allowing his driver to drive without licence so what else do they want from the family of the dead driver abi isnt the driver dead already. Stupid country biafra should come quick quick
Nonsense
Always senseless. Dumbf**k
DeleteI never knew u were this dumb until now.. why not bring biafra now now, if it doesn't come, go to it
DeleteNne I hope you read to the end??
DeleteCan you read and understand at all? The driver survived the accident!!!
DeleteSexiest mum,na wa for u oo.u too dy para for nothing
DeleteRead properly. He didn't die. That means his death was a rumour.
DeleteWoman can't you read?! The driver is receiving treatment at National Hospital! Abi you just wish the poor man dead ni?
DeleteSo the driver didnt die against that means truly there is some thing fishing.
DeleteAlways Typing Rubbish
DeleteOponu aiyerada, stupid sexiest mother, always typing rubbish as usual
DeleteWhen they say people should buy cars with ACE they'll not listen, they'll rather go for the aerodynamic shaped luxurious ones. See as the car squeeze.
ReplyDeleteRIP to the dead
Which driver? D dead one?
ReplyDeleteMtchewww! Are they trying to say Ocholi didn't know that his driver doesn't av a valid driver's license or that he didn't know he was over speeding? They should allow the family to grieve in peace abeg
ReplyDeleteDidn't we learn the driver died Tues morn? Hia!
ReplyDeleteNa wa oh
ReplyDeleteMay God expose all that needs to be exposed in this tragic story.
ReplyDeleteAnd may He comfort the Ocholi kids. Amen.
But it was reported that the driver is dead na.....whatbua the problem in this man's death self. Am no more interested mbok
ReplyDeleteDriver didn't die. He was the one who took pictures of the dead minister.
ReplyDeleteNa wa o. Nigerians and social media. He was busy snapping pictures??
DeleteWhen I thought he died, I said that he would have been in trouble if alive, and blamed for the whole thing. Alas!
DeleteBut they said the driver died nau,,,,so which driver are they talking about again? Abi dem dey run shift for steering?
ReplyDeleteI'm getting sick and tired of all these conspiracy theories.
ReplyDeleteI thought they said the driver died? Mscheeeew
This is really shameful .
ReplyDeleteNigeria under Buhari is a disgrace, a laughing stock among committee of decent nation
When Azazi and Yakowa died under the last regime,did you blame Jonathan. Use your head sometimes,God gave it to you for a reason.
DeleteFRSC!!!I have NEVER seen any speed limit signs on the road,so sharrap there!Secondly,convoys carrying government officials should STOP speeding!They are a huge risk to themselves and other road users!Thirdly,our emergency/healthcare services in this country are literally comatose.We need to look inwards now.Prosecuting the driver is a typical stupid knee-jerk reaction we have to everything.
ReplyDeleteThe Driver not having a drivers license is a non issue. He works for the FG, which Law enforcement officer would stop him on the road with him driving a govt vehicle? Is it the Police or FRSC??? How many people have drivers license in this country and have never held the steering wheel of a car before?
ReplyDeleteSecondly the cause of the accident was as a result of over speeding. Do note that the Ministers car would not have been the lead car and the Minister’s driver would have had to catch up with the pace of the Pilot car, meaning all cars in the Minister’s convoy were speeding. It’s unfortunate the tyre burst happened to the Ministers car. The late Minister could have also told his driver and the Pilot driver to drive at moderate speed, instead of letting himself to be driven at such high speed.
Thirdly that car is the latest model Lexus LX 570, The car would have warned the driver if the tyre pressure was low. The car also has all round air bags and from the pictures it shows that the airbags deployed. However if the Minister and his family had worn their seat belts they probably would have survived the crash.
What happened is unfortunate and could have been avoided. We all know how the convoys of govt officials move on the highways. Life has no spare wheel, let us all drive with caution. May the souls of the departed RIP.
Well said.
DeleteThis story is just not straight, today the driver is dead, tomorrow they want to prosecute him, which one again?
ReplyDeleteFRSC is it d late driver or u have another driver u are talking about.
ReplyDeleteLeave d ocholi family to mourn peacefully
Ah ah
ReplyDeleteThought you said the driver also died 2days after the incident in an hospital in Abuja
What do we believe?
Let the dead rest jare
Rip
Quite unfortunate that lives were lost but the minister had a lot of lapses on his side.
ReplyDelete1. Why would your driver not have a valid license?
2. Why allow your driver overspeed?
3. Why didn't he and others use their seat belts?
4. Report has it that the door to his side was not locked. Pls is he a toddler that the mum would have to check that child lock is in place before driving?
Maybe the accident wouldn't have happened or maybe it wouldn't have been this fatal if he had done his bit well.
Rest in peace to the dead and grace to bear the loss for the surviving relatives.
Pls God, heal our land.
Let your mercy speak above judgement
Amen
Exactly. Which means it is all fishy!
DeleteThis thing is gradually annoying me..
ReplyDeleteIs it because he is an elite?
Do you know how many people die on the roads everyday?!
The dead is gone! Let the family mourn in peace, no amount of analysis would wake them sadly.
Gbenga Aruleba sef dey there dey analyse...
Na wao hhhh,lawless Nigeria,when people in convoy drive as if dem no dey get accident
ReplyDeleteTaught the driver died???
ReplyDeleteAre they saying that the driver is still alive?
ReplyDeleteI thought they said that he didn't survive?
Prosecute him for what exactly?
If they want to apportion blames, what about those that employed him without a licence?
Maynne, I'm sick and tired of these analysis and counter analysis abeg.
They wouldn't bring back the dead.
Those alive should just learn from it and the departed should be allowed to rest in peace, and their family mourn them quietly.
Pfffttt!
#WhiteDiamondOut
The story self ehn! i heard the driver was not his personal driver, that his personal driver was excused to see his wife that just gave birth, so he decided another person. Maybe d guy he used might be a relation he is assisting, the driver survived because he was on seat belt. We should all learn to use seat belt it helps, nd stop over speeding, if they were on seat belt maybe they would 've survived, but God knows best. RIp to the dead, May God give the children the fortitude to bear the loss. Heard the burial is 17th, nd 18th of March.
ReplyDeleteBad roads, bad drivers, no traffic rules, no law enforcement agents, no hospitals, no first aid, no rapid response squad, no properly trained drs. The calamities will continue. You don't need a god of man to show u the future. RIP Ocholi family.
ReplyDeleteYOT
Tot they said d driver is dead, Na him dead body they wan prosecute, instead of them to face the current fuel crisis in d country, by the way, I bought fuel#170 this morning, APC this is not the change u promised us
ReplyDeleteThought the driver was dead. Hmmmmm! Something is fishy.
ReplyDeleteThot they said he died.
ReplyDeleteI don't really believe any fowl play. A lot of Nigerian drivers are so incompetent, and they will be abusing us women drivers dat we cant drive, we just hug d wheels of d car, some idiots will be flashing u from d back.
I may not drive fast or have skills, I may even drive slow. But iv never been involved in an accident. I just want to get from point A to B safely. Leave speed and skill for Lewis Armstrong and Schumacher abeg.
What was a Minister of the federal republic of Nigeria doing employing a driver with no Licence???????
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:45 have said it all...
ReplyDeleteAll this FBI + NYPD work after death is bull.
Convoys move in groups, Oga's car was not the first nor the last, so can imagine the speed rate of the first car.
secondly why didn't they caution the driver?
where they all asleep or the gist was so sweet for them to see whats happening around them without seat belt?
Oyinbo wey make most of this cars don't even ride them, and all cautions where placed for a reason, now they want to crucify the driver cos of no license.
Didn't they interview him before been employed?
Oga is the one meant to be sanctioned for putting the life of his followers at stake.
What the government should pick up in the aftermath of this accident is overhauling the training of all its drivers as well as overhauling the process of getting a driving licence in Nigeria. Driving schools should be set up and intending drivers should actually undergo these lessons before they can obtain a licence.
ReplyDeleteTraining should not be specially for the top guns in government alone. How many drivers in the driving pool of all the govt agencies, ministries and parastatals actually organise training for their drivers? NONE!!
They should start from the scratch. Make all their drivers/employees undergo training. Learning is a continuous process!!
The intention to prosecue the driver is a dumb idea!!! LEt something good come out of this accident! Overhauling government driving pools trianing processes and then the overhauling of the process Nigerian citizens obtain their licence.
Like somebody explained days back on this blog.. The glasses were prolly wound up and hard to tell if its on high speed or not.. But this one the driver is dying and rising from the dead.me i can smell rat kuma...to make it worse he was taking pics.. Really?
ReplyDeleteSo the driver is still alive? Hmmmm
ReplyDeleteStupid people... You want to prosecute a dead man... Who hired him in the first place? Didn't you know he didn't have a license? When was the last time you trained your drivers? Do you let them get enough rest or are they constantly on the move? People that drive and use drivers should apply common sense pls...
ReplyDeleteI am sorry he died but not the fault of the driver. You have driver and you can't ask if he has a valid drivers license.fine we need to respect the dead but you need to do a proper background check before handing over your life to the person. Ignorance is not an excuse.
ReplyDelete