Frank Kokori, a seasoned labour leader and former general secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), is presently suffering from a kidney illness.
Kokori, who was brought to a private hospital in Warri, Delta State, has asked for assistance in obtaining medical care abroad.
When some journalists visited Kokori at the Mount Horeb Clinic on Thursday, he was in anguish. He begged the NUPENG leadership and good-hearted Nigerians to assist him.
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Notwithstanding his suffering, Kokori pleaded on labour union members to back President Bola Tinubu in order to save the nation, particularly the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Kokori warned the TUC and NLC against choosing to go on strike too quickly and urged them to give Tinubu enough time to deal with the socioeconomic issues facing the nation.
The ailing veteran labour leader, who is a steadfast member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta state, contended that Tinubu ought to be granted an honorarium of at least a year to stabilise the economy, as it has been mismanaged by previous leaders, including the recently deceased President Muhammadu Buhari.
He reminisced about his time as a labour leader and his altruistic efforts to free the nation, saying, “Our struggles were to build a country.” The state of the nation—I would have received billions if I had wanted them. I was among those who stood to defend democracy.
“I was incarcerated for four years straight. I gave democracy everything I had. Nigeria lacks the freedom fighters that exist in South Africa. I restored democracy by using the tool at my disposal. You believe money doesn’t bother me? I agree, but I won’t accept what isn’t mine. I’m a nationalist.
Kokori bemoaned the inadequate medical assistance available in the nation as well as his own health difficulties, adding, “My point is: how can a country like Nigeria, in the entire of Warri, have Mount Horeb Clinic as the sole hospital that can handle renal issue?
“When I arrived at the clinic, I was not unconscious. Here, I entered a coma. I arrived here on Tuesday. However, yesterday was just too much. I’m eighty years old. I have battled for this country for twenty-five years. However, how am I to know that Warri lacks a working hospital?
