James Ocholi

James Enojo Ocholi was born on November 26, 1960 in Idah, Kogi State, Nigeria. He attended Ochaja Secondary School and the University of Jos, where he obtained a Bachelor of Law degree in 1985. He graduated from the Nigerian Law School in 1986 and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar the same year. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2007 and served as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association. He was also a member of the Body of Benchers and the Council of Legal Education. He was involved in several high-profile cases and human rights advocacy. He was a founding member of the Congress for Progressive Change and later joined the All Progressives Congress. He contested for the governorship of Kogi State in 2011 and 2015, but lost to Abubakar Audu in both occasions. He was appointed as the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015. He was in charge of overseeing labour issues and industrial relations in the country. He died on March 6, 2016, along with his wife and son, in a car accident on the Kaduna-Abuja highway. He was buried in his hometown of Kabba, Kogi State, on March 18, 2016. He was survived by two sons and a daughter. He was described as a humble, diligent, and patriotic Nigerian who contributed to the development of the nation.