Former NUPENG General Secretary, Frank Kokori, Dies at 80

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

A foremost trade unionist and former General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori, has died.

His death coincided with his 80th birthday.

According to reports, the trade unionist died at 1:30 am Thursday.

The passage of the octogenarian was made public at about 2:30 am by his personal assistant, Atawada Barry Oke.

Oke said the former labour leader’s health relapsed on Monday as he was unable to interact with people around him while he was placed on life support.

Kokori was an advocate for workers’ right and the struggle for democracy in the country. 

He was to be appointed to head the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) by former President Muhammadu Buhari but later dropped. 

The irrepressible trade unionist later retired into a quiet life until recently when he reportedly took ill.

Kokori’s death came barely one month after he cried out from his hospital bed on Thursday, November 9, 2023, that he had been neglected and abandoned to die in spite of his huge contribution to the democratic growth of the country.