Elder statesman and foremost labour unionist, Chief Frank Kokori, has lost his wife of 53 years, Mrs Esther Kokori.
Chief Kokori, who’s a national chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the official disclosure on behalf of his family to journalists at his Ovu country home in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State on Wednesday.
According to the former general secretary of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Mrs Kokori, whom he described as a pillar of democracy during the June 12 struggle, died in Lagos on November 10, 2020, after a protracted illness.
The mother-of-five children and six grandchildren worked with former British Paints (now Berger Paints) as a stenographer before she delved into business, and unionism with her husband.
She was reputed to have held the forte at the home front when Chief Kokori was incarcerated at Bama prisons, Bornu State by the late General Sanni Abacha during the struggle for the actualisation of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential elections.
Speaking on the demise of his heartthrob, Chief Kokori said: “She was a pillar of democracy during the struggle for the June 12 actualisation She was holding forte for me while in prison at Bama.
“She was my backbone, very supportive to my struggles like Kudirat was to Abiola. She was holding meetings with late Gani Fewehinmi, Femi Falana, Beeko Kuti, Abraham Adesanya and other chieftains of NADECO, Afenifere and civil societies, among others in my absence.
Mrs Kokori, whose remains have been brought from Lagos and embalmed in a morgue in Delta, hails from Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta.
She was 73 and her burial comes upon a yet-to-be-decided date in February 2021, according to Chief Kokori.
Meanwhile, condolences from dignitaries have been pouring in as one of the early callers to the Kokoris, Deputy President of Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, last weekend, described late Mrs Kokori as a virtuous and forthright woman who was fully involved in democratic struggles behind her husband.
National President of NUPENG, Prince Williams Akporeha, who also led a team of his executive members to commiserate with Chief Kokori, described late Esther as “a time manager and mother of NUPENG” who’s ” remembered for all her struggles with Chief Kokori to emancipate oil and gas workers in the country.”
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