By Simeon OSAJIE
President, One Love Foundation
A Human rights activist and president of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Eholor has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and other elected political office holders in the country to enact laws to give right to every adult Nigerian citizen to carry fire arms to enable them protect themselves from armed robbers and kidnappers.
Chief Patrick Eholor made the call while fielding questions from the9jatrend in Benin City on how to improve the security situation in the country. He noted that since the governors across the country choose to use the security votes for their personal interest, there is need to enact the law so that everyone can have the right to protect himself and his family, adding that, he has taken the federal government to court on this and other sundry security issues.
Chief Patrick Eholor
President, One Love Foundation
According to Chief Eholor who is also known as the Observer General of Nigerian Politics, "I have taken the federal government to court on the security situation in this country. Take for instance, you are travelling with your family and some herdsmen or kidnappers pull you over, embarrass your wife or daughter, it will become infidelity, and you become nobody. But in America society or in the Israelis society, every man has the right to carry arm to protect himself.
"If you are coming to my house or you are trying to approach me when I am driving, the thought that comes to your mind is that, I already have a gun to myself for protection, but mark you, I am a man of peace, I am the president of One Love Foundation, I don’t believe in jungle justice, I don’t believe in maiming or killings, I do believe that whether we live free, we will die, I cannot allow anybody to infringe on my right.
Chief Patrick Eholor
President, One Love Foundation
"If the law is enacted, persons with criminal record or questionable background should not have the right to carry gun."
While tasking state governors on proper utilisation of security vote for the protection of lives and property, Chief Eholor said, "there should be a law that, if one is kidnapped or rubbed, he should be able to sue his state government, because they are unable to give us what is enshrined in our Constitution that our life and property should be protected by them, because they have breached that part in our Constitution.
"If our states government cannot use the security vote properly, they should share it among the citizen to protect themselves. Imagine, Edo state has a population less than 5 million, and if the government agrees to share the security vote, we as citizens are going to get whooping some of money to purchase whatever we required to protect ourselves and our family. If the governors cannot do that, I think the security vote should be scrapped, that is my point.
Chief Patrick Eholor
President, One Love Foundation
"It will interest us to note that in the Guinness book of record, Nigeria has the highest fraudulent politicians who used all means to get into power without meeting up the requirements."
Chief Eholor also condemned the recent increase in electricity tariff, stressing that the present federal government is inflicting hardship on the citizenry.
"I think it is preposterous, it is provoking, they are anti-people, we should recall that the promise made by APC government during their campaign has turned other way round.
"Remember, President Buhari promised to make our N1 equal to a dollar, I think APC government have come to inflict more hardship on us. It is high time the people woke up and say no to this dictatorship government of APC. I think the people should wake up and fight for what rightly belong to them. The government should be afraid of us as a people not we afraid of the government as people we elected.
"Our democracy is already striving, because in the past, we use not to talk, you saw what happen during #Endsars protest, that is to say, we are heading to somewhere and we shall overcome someday. I know people died, some sustained various degree of injuries, you know in such scenario people will die while some will live. The reason the politicians have been taking us for granted is that, we have been so myopic, we have been scared. We should note that, whether you say something or not, you must die. So, we all must say something to denounce all these people, they are all dictators and we are ready to fight them."
While commenting on the state of the judiciary in the country, Chief Eholor regreted that some judges do not realise the enomity of power bestowed on them as judges. He described judges as next to God as they have power of life and death, adding that, judges ought to realise such enomous power, rever it and shun corruption and judge matters before them in accordance with the law and dispense justice without fear or favour.
Chief Patrick Eholor
President, One Love Foundation
"The judges in our country seem not to know the reason why they are judges, it has become the highest bidder for the politicians, they set verdict on them to subvert the will of the people.
"I am not ready to take side with anybody, I say it as it is, they are trying to see how they can distract people of whatever is going on in this state.
"Again, I want to say sincerely that I have respect for judges, because after God, it is judges, because they are so powerful to decide who to condemn or release, or who to be exonerated when you are condemned to death. So, if they continue to behave like this, we will continue to loose faith in some of the judges.
While admonishing the youths to shun cultism and violence, Chief Eholor said,
"My message of hope to Edo people is that, for those boys, they should believe that cultism will lead them to nowhere, they should have a rethink, they should think back to the days and months their mothers carried them in their womb. Should those years be of waste? If you were a woman, you will know the pain. I want to sincerely appeal to them all, for the spirit of motherhood, they should have a rethink. Renounce, denounce, you have a right to leave. Let’s embrace peace and together we shall achieve success in our dear state."
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