Chief Patrick Eholor, the President of One Love Foundation is at it again. Here, in an exclusive interview with Jungle Journalist Media Limited, Eholor explains why herdsmen must end nomadic cattle rearing, how legalising of guns will end insecurity, and why he took the Federal Government, as well as Edo State Government to court.
He also speaks on other sundry matters.
Excerpts:
The rising insecurity problem caused by Fulani herdsmen
In 1969, there was a federal government judgment that said the Fulani has no right to move their cows all over the country.
For the benefit of those who do not know it, Justice Thompson on 17th April 1979, in Suit no AB/26/66 at Abeokuta Division of the High Court, made the ban and warned of unprovoked killing by Fulani herdsmen.
“He declared in his judgment ‘I do not accept the contention of Defendants that a custom exists which imposes an obligation on the owner of farm to fence his farm whilst the owner of cattle allows his cattle to wander like pests and cause damage. Such a custom if it exists, is unreasonable and I hold that it is repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience and therefore unenforceable…in that it is highly unreasonable to impose the burden of fencing a farm on the farmer without the corresponding obligation on the cattle owner to fence in his cattle.
‘Sequel to this, I ban open grazing for it is inimical to peace and tranquility and the cattle owners must fence or ranch their animals for peace to reign in these communities.’
People have a right to make a living, and people have a right to coexist. With this their destruction, AK 47, and their criminal activities like raping women and killing citizens, if they cannot coexist with us and live peacefully, the government should finds place for them to have a ranch. In American today, nobody trains cows on the streets. It’s a shame to us as a nation that we are so primitive, allowing minors to patrol cows with guns and machetes on our streets.
The cause of this problem is not far fetched, it’s due to the abysmal failure of the previous administration, and worsened by the administration of Muhammadu Buhari. He is an abysmal failure. There are no plans by anybody to salvage the situation, so the youths are very restless. They are indulging themselves in cultism, and various crimes. They went to school but after graduating, they send them to streets to look for jobs that are not there.
And they know that there is no job in the streets. So what next, that’s the question you will ask. What you will now ask is that they have focused their minds on criminality. They are now emboldened by the corruption going on in the country and are now saying that we are all equal. No one is superior ro the other. Then there is also the issue of Fulani herdsmen carrying guns to rape our women, and they are saying, enough of it. That’s why you see that there is unrest everywhere.
You can also see last week’s publication and video that went viral, when I suggested and wrote a letter to the President. That we should have a database for the background of all Nigerians, and those Nigerians who do not have criminal records should be allowed to carry guns when they are travelling and when they are home. Not just because of the Fulani herdsmen, but also due to bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers.
It is enshrined in our constitution that the government should protect lives and property, but you can see that they failed at both state and federal levels. Our lives and property are not guaranteed anymore. So we are going to find out how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones. That is why we are here today.
You can also see that those working with Buhari have failed him, because if you cannot trust the messenger, you can’t trust his message.
I want to give you two reasons. Recently, Festus Keyamo came up with an idea to use N52 billion to be allocated to his office to empower 774,000 Nigerians. He wants to to give them N20,000 a month each for three months. These are masters degree holders, graduates, and I ask, after three months, what next?
You want to pay a graduate N20,000 per month for three months and after three months, you won’t pay him again. So what’s next for that graduate? I suggested that he share that money into the six geopolitical zones and establish factories- in the oil, agriculture, infotech and other fields, and before you know, they are good in these fields. That money is only going to insult their sensibilities, and increase criminality.
Surprisingly again, Osinbajo also came out again to say that he is going to bring out 20 million people from poverty. He is saying that without a blue print, he is saying that without telling us how is intends to achieve that.
Somebody also came from the Minsitry of Finance, and said she is going to be paying people N5,000 every month for 3 months. That’s going to be N30,000 after three months, and she will start with 1 million people. How do you now identify the very poor in our society, when you do not have a database? So everything about them is criminality, how they can make money, how they can put people more into abject poverty.
If these things are not nipped in the bud, people are going to resort to self help, and that can turn this country into a banana republic.
Fall out of the #Endsars Protests
Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder that’s going to explode very soon. Before the end SARS protests, I had led protests to the police stations, led a protest to the Commisioner of Police, Edo State, and also to Abuja. I told them that the police are grossly underpaid, they are not treated fairly, although I don’t encourage the SARS criminality, but they are living below poverty line. There is no barracks, there is no uniform, there is no patrol van, there is no bullet proof vest, there is no gun. And I said, by the time the citizens revolt and transfer the anger the police is transferring to us back, it will overwhelm them.
I am not a prophet but what I said is like Nostradamus. I also foresee something worse than this, and it has to do with the military. The military we have today are also transferring their aggression to the citizens. The military is supposed to be at the borders and in the barracks to protect us, I have lived in Canada for 35 years but never seen military men on the streets. When there is no war, we don’t need them.
But the military also abuse the citizens. Because they are not well treated by the government. They are treated like animals in their barracks, they have no light, no running water, the environment is so dismal that even your dog will not live in that kind of environment.
For that reason, they are very angry, and instead of them to put their anger on the government, they face the citizenry. Also note that the government has not shown sincerity in that End SARS issue. None of the demands has been met. As a matter of fact, the Inspector General we have today should be ashamed of himself, he should resign from the force. He told us publicly that there will be no road block, but the road blocks are back. He told us that unlawful searches will end, but they are still searching people unlawfully. He told us that he is going to take all the police from the VIP, today, he has increased the number. These are facts, and if he says I am lying, let him sue me for defamation of character. My name is Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor.
I have facts to back up whatever am saying today. The end SARS protests was just a warm up protest. Because by the time citizens are tired of being enslaved, decieved, lied to, I pray that the second protest should not happen.
The government should listen to me very carefully now, and do what is needed, and adhere to the promise they made to our citizens, open our Universities so that people can go back to school and do the needful.
Instead of buying vaccine from the west, open the schools, train our lecturers again, invest in our scientists. Who told you that we don’t have engineers in this country? We have engineers but they are not supported by the government. We have the best doctors all over the world but they don’t have the enabling environment. That is why you see that we run abroad for treatment. But we have the best doctors, born here, schooled here, trained here, but they go abroad to work and perform surgery.
When we are looking for someone to work in our gas stations, we are looking for the best. But when we are choosing leaders, we are looking for the worst. That’s why we have problems.
On the news that soldiers are resigning to join Eastern Security Network
It will only worsen the situation we are facing because if they join pseudo military forces, it will only increase the criminality. They are already trained on how to shoot, how to kill, and that is very dangerous.
It was in the news the other day that a soldier and a police officer were arraigned for armed robbery in Bayelsa. Also in Lagos, a 16 years old boy was defrauded of N70,000 by a police officer.
The Commisioner was able to investigate and arrest the police officer. He made sure that the money was returned and the police officer faced criminal charges.
Most of the robberies and kidnappings you are seeing today, I will tell you without mincing words that security agents are behind them. Those who were abused by the system, those not paid adequate salary, those not given proper living wages, they are the ones increasing crime. The military has to realized that they are not pledging their allegiance to Buhari, but to Nigeria. But the reverse is the case. They are not concerned about Nigeria or the citizens. Look at what happened in America recently where Mike Pence did not obey Donald Trump because he had to serve the interest of the country and not that of one man, the president.
The only interest of the expired service chiefs we have here is to protect the interest of Muhammadu Buhari, not to protect the citizenry. If the Chief of Army staff Buratai knows what he is doing, we won’t have been in this situation today.
But because his term has expired like expired milk, and he doesn’t know what he is doing, he is serving the interest of Buhari. The same thing when they selected the IGP. They just select on nepotism and favoritism, instead of experience and ranking.
The IGP is going in February, but don’t be surprised he is going to be replaced with another northerner. Why are all the security outfits headed by northerners? Does it mean we don’t have a south easterner who is brilliant? Or south south, or south west? Until we end this issue of favoritism, the country will continue to get worse and worse. God forbid.
Pastors, prophets and their fake promises (Onye Eze Jesus)
We see mad men everywhere, and I think he is another mad man and a cult leader. He has a right to do what he is doing, in as much as he is not infringing on anybody’s rights. But I will not blame him but I will blame his followers who are desperate about getting rich. Blood doesn’t give you money. Humans head doesn’t give you money. Ram doesn’t give you money. Eating live chicken downs to give you money, and doing all kinds of stupid things doesn’t give you money. What gives you money is intelligence. What gives you money is hard work. But we have to explain to the public that another mad man have come again, false prophets, enslaving the mind, so I don’t take him serious, he is a joke and before the next two, three months, he will disappear.
The lawsuits against Governor Obaseki and the Federal Government
The governor said that because of Covid 19, he is going to promote all the primary six pupils. I felt that will kill our educational standards, unreasonable, and not a wise decision. He doesn’t have to reduce our educational standard. So it’s a public interest, and I took the matter to court.
The next one that I am doing now, I don’t hate him, I don’t belong to PDP, I don’t belong to APC. But I belong to the people of Edo State and Nigeria, and I speak on their behalf. He borrowed N25 billion, which he has not been able to deny and that means the rumor is true.
Recently, John Mayaki of APC accused him of borrowing N18 billion. I am in touch with some stakeholders, looking for facts to see if it’s true or not.
But instead of wasting time on that, I am going to court with the Freedom of Information Act to compel him to tell me whether it’s true or not. If it’s true, he should tell me the reason he is borrowing that money, if it was approved by the House of Assembly. As you know, the House is not well constituted. It’s not robust, 9 out of 24, and so, many people do not recognize that it exists at all. So he is using executive power to get them do whatever he wants.
Right to Firearms and Ammunition
Am sure you must be aware that I also took the Federal Government to court, to compel them allow citizens defend themselves and carry firearms. Imagine a scenario where I am traveling with my daughter, my wife, my in-law, and we are accosted by armed robbers or herdsmen or bandits, and someone take my wife and violates her in my presence. How would I feel if it happens to me? But if guns are legalized, and the criminals know that you are fully loaded, will they dare you? Whether at home or in the streets, they won’t dare you. That’s why I advocate for the rights to carry arms and ammunition.