President Bola Tinubu, during a joint session of the National Assembly to mark the 2025 Democracy Day has announced the conferment of posthumous national honour on the former General Secretary of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
Mr. President also extended similar gesture to other distinguished individuals who played pivotal roles in Nigeria’s democratic struggle. This includes posthumous awards to prominent figures like Kudirat Abiola, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and members of the Ogoni Nine.
Also in the list are Prof. Humphrey Nwosu (CON, posthumous), Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (CON, posthumous), Alhaji Balarabe Musa (CFR, posthumous), Pa. Alfred Rewane (CFR, posthumous), Bagauda Kaltho (OON, posthumous), Chima Ubani (OON, posthumous), Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti (CON, posthumous), Alao Aka Bashorun (CON, posthumous), Emma Ezeazu (OON, posthumous), Bamidele Aturu (OON, posthumous), Fredrick Fasehun (CON, posthumous), etc.
Checks by VERACITY DESK (veracitydesk.com) revealed that after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and Abacha’s taking over political leadership, Chief Kokori joined the masses who wanted the military out of government.
Taking advantage of the trust that NUPENG members had in Kokori, he mobilised the Union and other related bodies and they literally paralysed the country’s economy. The strike lasted from July to September 1994.
This was the first time NUPENG would be realising the awesome power in its hands to singlehandedly paralyse the country’s economy. Kokori weaponised this by instigating workers to embark on a strike that caused total paralysis that grounded Nigeria’s economy. Thus, on 5 July 1994, NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) struck, throwing Nigeria into the longest strike in its history, as protest against the annulled presidential election raged in Nigeria.
A number of other events followed. On 8 July 1994, an orgy of riots broke out in the Southwestern states, especially Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, and Ogun, as well as Edo State, and on 3 August 1994, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), in solidarity with the oil workers’ strike, also called for a general strike. This led to the crackdown by Abacha, who sacked the Executive Councils of NUPENG, PENGASSAN and NLC, shut down three newspapers, The Punch, Concord group and The Guardian.
Abacha was said to have baited Kokori with a mouth-watering appointment and cash, but he rejected the offers and went into hiding. He was, however, betrayed by someone close to him and on 18 August 1994, he was arrested. He was in detention till 1998 when Abacha suddenly died.
When Kokori was finally released, the Labour leader was emaciated and in poor health. His wife, Esther, who was in the thick of the national and international mobilisation for the freedom of her husband, suffered a stroke and never recovered till she died years after the husband had regained freedom.
Kokori was abandoned by subsequent governments after democracy was installed. He died in Warri, Nigeria, on his 80th birthday on 7 December 2023, from kidney-related diseases.
