Human rights activist and Global President of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor has expressed disappointment over the silence of Edo statemen in the face of alleged demolition of Central Hospital, Benin.
Eholor, while speaking with newsmen, also alleged that Governor Godwin Obaseki is alleged to have sold off the property housing Edo State library to a South African firm, to establish a shopping complex.
The activist, who threatened to go to court to challenge the governor over the actions however stated that Edo men and women have become complacent as the governor has resorted to carrying out activities that is against the people.
He said “I think we as a state, we are going backwards. Everybody wants to be politically correct, no one wants to be incorrect. Everybody is afraid to say the truth, no one wants to speak truth to power.
“Having said that, I felt disheartened when I went to Central Hospital to assist them for my birthday, and I saw the hospital being taken apart, and I said, are they doing renovation work?
“But unfortunately, the people who have overrated him with the 4 by 4 torgbah have refused to tell him the truth. It is either you tell people the truth and feel the pain, or lie to them, and ruin their lives. I think I am a friend to the governor, that’s why I will always tell him the truth.
“He should be aware that governance is not for ever. In another two years, we are going to have another governor and then, we are going to do comparison and judge. Posterity will then speak for him, whether he did well or not.
“The hospital you have at Sapele is so expensive, my wife couldn’t afford the N60, 000 they charged her for my daughter when she was on emergency, as comfortable as I am. I am not rich but I am comfortable. Its sad that the governor wants to shut down the hospital that is affordable to the ordinary people. Nobody seems to be talking in the state. It’s very surprising, disappointing, because without us, there is no Godwin. That hospital was built in 1902, before Obaseki’s father, or my father was born. So I want the people to refer to the Nigerian Constitution of 1999, as amended, in sub-sectioj 14- “without the people, there is no government”.
“Therefore, whatever he is planning to replace the hospital with, whether its a monument or a museum, the people come first. Are we all so naive? Where are the politicians? Where are the elites? Where are the statesmen? No one wants to be politically wrong.
“And talking about the library, I took refuge in a library, to study for the little knowledge I have today. The pathetic aspect is that most of the elite you have today were all trained in the library. They learnt from that library. How can you sell a library for a shop?
“So why can’t they speak, how can we have brain drain in a state? How can you be selling a library to replace it with an investment coming from South Africa-Shoprite or shop wrong, how dare you? And nobody is speaking? We have an army of unemployed youths, we have cultism, prostitution, and so many other anomalies.
“Something is wrong. I urge you all who supported him and still support him, to advise Godwin, for posterity. Let him stop the MOU, and do something for the youths. This could have been a good avenue to create jobs for youths in the state. The industrial park, and the Gelegele has been speculated all these while but nothing has come of them.
Our youths are gradually becoming local terrorists, the females are all turning to prostitution and drugs. It’s not because they want to, but because we as a government have failed them. They have no option but to either live free or die.
“So am going to go to court, to address the issue of the library, because we have a right as citizens to have a library. We have a right as citizens because education is the Light of the Nation. A country without education is doomed. So we must ensure that we all must come together and address these two critical issues.
“When Governor Adams Oshiomhole was going to sell Edo house, the good people of Edo State, CSOs, Market women, all good citizens of Edo State, including the chairman of PDP then, Chief Dan Orbih, we all went to Lagos to ensure that the land and building were not sold.
“He also listened and even instituted the Town Hall Meeting for us to interact and discuss.
“Politicians are not leaders, we need elder statesmen who will speak truth to power”.