Comrade Patrick Eholor is a renowned human rights activist and socio crusader. In this interview with our correspondent, ONAZENA ABBEY he expressed worry and sadness over the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State, especially between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, among other issues.
What is your assessment of Edo State under Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration?
Obaseki has nothing to show to be considered for a second tenure. We have an unfortunate situation in Edo State, especially as it relates to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (former governor of the state now national chairman of APC) and his successor, Godwin Obaseki. Godwin Obaseki, during the 2016 governorship campaign was described as a technocrat. Unfortunately, he does not understand that politics is not about personalising issues. It is not about enmity. If you are born to lead, you must carry people along. Obaseki insulted everybody in APC. He described leaders of the party as vagabonds, thieves and nonentities. Even as bad as it is in America today, Donald Trump reaches out to the far right who are racists because he wants to be popular, he wants to remain relevant. Obaseki thinks he knows it all. He would force us to pay taxes while he imports other people from neighbouring states to do our jobs. He is transferring our wealth to other states.
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The party caucus has vowed that he is not returning for a second tenure in 2020. Those who are saying that he must have a second tenure are deceiving themselves as he has nothing to show as his achievements for his first tenure in office. He is using substandard materials to construct our roads. The roads that he is constructing do not last for a month even though he was getting some credits for what are not his achievements. Obaseki was working with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as economic team manager. He was using his company as a consultant to get money from the state government. He was a consultant on the failed erosion project that they borrowed N25 billion for. He can challenge me and take me to court. I am ready to go to jail if found guilty.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to the UN elicited criticisms and condemnations. What is your take?
If you have children, they will not look like others. Rather, they will look like you because you are their biological father. So, most of the youths that President Buhari described as lazy are taking a cue from him because he is a lazy leader. He disgraced the nation recently at the United Nations (UN). We discourage cheating in examination. We want our children to learn by using their brains and not by copying. He gave a speech. Unfortunately for him, when he was asked a very simple question on the killings and instability in Nigeria, he started talking about climate change. That’s disgraceful. May the souls of our past leaders -Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Anthony Enahoro, Nnamdi Azikiwe – rest in peace. They were all eloquent people. We cannot because of nepotism, favouritism and ethnicity favour undesirable elements. Enough is enough! I was ashamed to call myself a Nigerian on listening to the address of President Buhari at the UN.
Only recently former political adviser to Adams Oshiomhole, Charles Idahosa vowed to support Governor Obaseki’s second term bid. What’s your reaction to this?
We have many failures in Edo that the young ones try to emulate. For instance, we have a Charles Idahosa, who is a nuisance. He has been moving from one political party to another. He described Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in the most derogatory term when he was asked to become his (Oshiomhole’s) deputy as he was canvassing for votes. He later took an appointment as an aide to the same Oshiomhole. Today, he is claiming to be a leader of Uhunmwode. However, after due consultation with the elders of Uhunmwode, we were told that he is not from there. This is a man who has no factory and has never impacted on anybody. We don’t want leaders who are unemployed and just benefit from the patrimony of Edo State. He has a police orderly but I want to plead with the Inspector General of Police to withdraw the orderly. What is he afraid of that he has a police orderly to guard him? People like Charles Idahosa are some of the problems that we have in Edo State politics. So, the youths have risen to say that they want to retire them because you cannot be a youth at the age of 66 years. These are people who have lived their lives and want to live the lives of their children.
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What do you think is the solution to insecurity in the country?
Insecurity will stop if there are gainful employments for the youths. You cannot blame the youths. They follow the precedent you set for them. We need to talk to the clergymen to come out with what we call social enlightenment. Voters are insignificant in comparison to what we have in most church congratulations. Clergymen must insist on exposing and disgracing those who loot our treasury. When that is done, they (the looters) will know that leaving a legacy is much better than looting the treasury. Most of the rich men we have in Nigeria cannot be showcased in Forbes magazine because their wealth is questionable.
