Who was Frank Kokori? Biography, Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Net Worth, Death & More

Frank Kokori (born 7 December 1943 – died 8 December 2023, Aged: 80 years old) was a Nigerian trade unionist, pro-democracy activist, and elder statesman who died on December 8, 2023, on his 80th birthday. He was the former secretary-general of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and a prominent figure in the struggle for the actualization of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late MKO Abiola. He was also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a recipient of several national and international awards for his labor and human rights advocacy.

Education & Family Background

Frank Kokori was born on December 7, 1943, in Kokori, Warri, Delta State. He was the son of Ovie Kokori, a farmer and community leader, and Agbavwe Kokori, a trader and herbalist. He had six siblings and was the second son of his father.

He attended Urhobo College, Warri, from 1959 to 1962, where he obtained his West African School Certificate. He then proceeded to Eko Boys High School, Lagos, from 1963 to 1964, where he completed his Higher School Certificate. He worked briefly as a tariff clerk at the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (now National Electric Power Authority) in 1966 and as a district sales representative at Lever Brothers Nigeria Ltd. in 1971.

Frank Kokori gained admission to the University of Ibadan in 1974, where he studied history and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977. He later obtained a Master of Arts degree in Labour and Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Netherlands, in 1984.

Frank Ovie Kokori Wiki/Bio

Name	Frank Ovie Kokori
Date of Birth	December 7, 1943
Place of Birth	Kokori, Warri, Delta State
Date of Death	December 8, 2023
Place of Death	Warri, Delta State
Cause of Death	Kidney-related ailment
Occupation	Trade unionist, pro-democracy activist, elder statesman
Spouse	Esther Kokori (m. 1967-2020)
Children	Six (four sons and two daughters)
Education	University of Ibadan, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague
Political Party	All Progressives Congress (APC)
Instagram	frankkokori
Homepage	newsunzip.com

Career and Activism

Frank Kokori joined the trade union movement in 1975, when he became the general secretary of the National Union of Nigeria Bank Employees (NUNBE). He held this position until 1978 when he was elected as the national secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), a position he held for 22 years until 2000.

As the leader of NUPENG, Kokori was instrumental in organizing several industrial actions and protests against the military regimes of Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha, especially over the issues of fuel subsidy removal, minimum wage, and democratic transition. He was also a member of the Constitution Review Committee in 1987, the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Vice President of the African Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers, and the Constituent Assembly in 1988.

He was one of the most vocal supporters of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was widely believed to have been won by MKO Abiola, but was annulled by Babangida. He mobilized NUPENG and other civil society groups to demand the restoration of the mandate and the end of military rule. He also aligned with the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy movement that challenged the legitimacy of the Abacha regime.

In August 1994, Kokori was arrested and detained by the Abacha regime for his involvement in a nationwide strike organized by NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). He was held in solitary confinement for four years at the notorious Bama Prison in Borno State, without any charges or trial. He was declared a prisoner of conscience by the late Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, the International Labour Organization, Amnesty International, and other labor and human rights organizations.

Frank Kokori was released in June 1998, after the death of Abacha and the emergence of Abdulsalami Abubakar as the new military head of state. He resumed his role as the secretary-general of NUPENG and continued his advocacy for democracy and workers’ rights. He retired from NUPENG in 2000 and joined politics as a member of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). He later became the national financial secretary of the party and the administrator of the party in Oyo and Osun States.

Frank Kokori joined the APC in 2014 and was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as the chairman of the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in 2017. However, his appointment was controversially reversed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who claimed that Kokori was not fit for the position. This led to a series of protests and petitions by Kokori, NUPENG, and other civil society groups, who accused Ngige of corruption and nepotism. Kokori was later appointed as the chairman of the board of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) in 2019.

Personal Life & Spouse

Frank Kokori married Esther Kokori in 1967 and they had six children, four sons and two daughters. His wife died on November 10, 2020, at the age of 73, after a brief illness. She was buried in her hometown, Ohrerhe-Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, in February 2021.

Death Cause

Kokori died on December 8, 2023, on his 80th birthday, at a private hospital in Warri, Delta State, where he was receiving treatment for a kidney-related ailment. He had earlier cried out that he was dying on a hospital bed and that NUPENG had abandoned him in his time of need. He also expressed his disappointment with the Urhobo traditional practice of burying women in their ancestral homes rather than in their husbands’ places.

Frank Kokori was mourned by his family, friends, associates, and admirers, who described him as a hero of democracy, a fearless labor leader, and a patriotic statesman. He was also eulogized by prominent Nigerians, such as the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who called him one of the architects of modern democracy in Nigeria, and the National President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, who called him a time manager and a mother of NUPENG.

He was buried in his hometown, Kokori, Warri, Delta State, on December 15, 2023, amid tributes and accolades from various quarters.

Net Worth

Kokori’s net worth is not publicly known, but he was widely regarded as a modest and honest man who did not amass wealth from his trade union and political activities. He lived a simple and humble life and was not involved in any corruption scandal. He once said that he was not interested in money but in service to humanity.

Awards and Honors

Frank Kokori received several awards and honors for his labor and human rights advocacy, both locally and internationally. Some of them are:

• The George Meany Labour/Human Rights Award by the American Federation of Labour/Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL/CIO) for the most outstanding labor leader in the world in 1996.
• The Febe Elizabeth Valasquez Trade Union/Human Rights Award of the Dutch Labour Federation (FNV) for the most outstanding labor activist and human rights crusader in the world for 1998.
• The Fellowship of the Petroleum Training Institute (FPTI) for his contribution to the development of the petroleum sector in Nigeria.
• The Defender of Democracy Award by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) for his role in the June 12 struggle in Nigeria.
• The Order of the Niger (OON) by the Federal Government of Nigeria for his service to the nation.