Demise of senator Okoh great loss to Nigeria - Adebayo

The Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo, CON, has expressed shock over the death of Senator Rose Okoji Okoh, who until her demise was the Chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, just as he described her passage as a great loss to the country.

The Minister made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, through a press statement made available to journalists by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Julius Toba-Jegede.

Adebayo attributed the smooth working relationship between the ministry under his supervision and the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment to the efforts of the departed senator.

He also described the late senator “as diligent, hardworking and a lawmaker with an ommon commitment to nation-building during her several years both in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

He added that “My path and that of Senator (Dr) Rose Okoji Okoh crossed when I was appointed the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, where she worked with my ministry in her capacity as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment.

“Within those few months we worked together, I can recall how the senator mobilized members of her committee to give me and my team at the ministry all the needed supports to achieve our mandate to the benefit of all Nigerians, regardless of our political affiliation.

“To us at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the news came as a rude shock and a great loss to the nation. Especially coming at a time when our dear country needs the experience and leadership qualities of this lawmaker.

“However, we find solace in God Almighty whom we believe will console the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the immediate family left behind by her and the Government and People of Cross River State.

“Senator Oko will be membered by many for her strength of character as a leader, an amazon in the political turf and a great lover of her country, Nigeria, which she served diligently in the course of her 63 years on Earth.”