The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Adeniyi Adebayo, has described the death of Sen. Rose Okoh as a great loss to the country.
The minister made this known in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Julius Toba-Jegede on Tuesday in Abuja.
Okoh, until her demise, was the Chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment.
Adebayo, who expressed shock at her demise, 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 uncommon commitment to nation-building during her several years both in the senate and the House of Representatives.
“My path and that of Senator Rose 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 mobilised members of her committee to give me and my team at the ministry all the needed support to achieve our mandate to the benefit of all Nigerians.
“To us at the ministry, 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,” he said.
The minister said that Okoh will be remembered 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.
