Chief Patrick Eholor, human rights activist and President of the Global One Love Foundation, has affirmed that he is a trouble maker.
Answering some questions on his chain of activities which bother on addressing human rights abuses, Chief Eholor said: “Yes, they are free to call me a troublemaker. But they should be told that I only get involved in necessary troubles. My dream is to address the ills of the society so that all can live in peace and unity.
“If they call me a troublemaker based on this premise then I am. I am desirous of leaving the society better than I met it. We must call a spade a spade. We should not tolerate deceit clothed in whatever garment.”
On insinuations that his many court cases and press statements against the Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki is meant as a distraction, Chief Eholor said: “They can say whatever they want to say. I am definitely not distracting Governor Obaseki with the cases I have against him in court.
“In actual fact, the cases are meant to curb any excesses he is exhibiting and making him stay focused on the task ahead of him that gave him victory at the polls for a second tenure.”
Speaking on his exchange of hot words with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Lilian Salami, Chief Eholor stated that he has no grudge against the academia other than to put the record straight about the long standing debt that the management of the institution was yet to settle for a project he handled in the school.
“Benedicta Ehanire, who is the image maker of the Uniben, is not doing a good job. She is not representing her boss(Professor Salami) well. If I was Professor Lilian Salami I would have fired Benedicta a long time ago.
“On my own, without any prompting, I have defended Professor Salami on a couple of times. When the banks were trying to malign her I stood by her. Also, when some chiefs in Benin Palace wanted to rubbish her on cultural matters I was vehement in defending her.
“What happened is that I wrote a letter to her privately demanding for payment of what the Uniben is owing me for the project I did for them and also about the rot in the institution. The next thing I know was to see the letter been posted on a social media platform.
“She actually intended to use that to blackmail me but it boomeranged on her. The next thing is that the two of them, Prof. Salami and Benedicta started addressing me as one Patrick Eholor instead of addressing me as a chief which they know that I am.
“I am giving her a grace of some time to pay me and other contractors for the job we did or else we team up against the institution through a court action whereby the institution may be shut down for inability to get their acts together.”
On what he called the fraudulent practices in the banking sector in Nigeria, Chief Eholor said that such activities must be curbed as it has led to depression, destruction of family values, collapse of marriages etc.
He accused the banks of pushing young ladies into prostitution by giving them targets to meet.
“I observe that banks promise you what they cannot give you. If you seek for loan they will ask you for appraisal, collateral etc. The only thing that they won’t ask for is your blood which I was ready to give to UBA as a collateral but they rejected.
“They deceived me into believing that I will get a loan from them which never happened. My question is am I not qualified to get a loan from UBA? The bank gives you flimsy reasons for rejecting your request. Meanwhile, they would drive their bullion vans into Bola Tinubu’s house.
“The banks prefer giving pastors loan because they rely on their tithes and offerings. No society grows that way. The Chinese are producing millions of scientists yearly. In Nigeria we produce millions of pastors yearly.
“Top officials of the banks engage in inside trading which is a criminal act. Most of them also elope with depositors funds abroad to buy choice properties while the depositors languish in poverty.
“Nigeria banks prefer to give loans to foreigners even without collateral all because of the colour of the skin. When the bank gives you a ATM card they charge you N1000(one thousand naira). It is a fraud because as their customer they are supposed to give you the card free.
“When you’re sleeping they charge you stamp duty, CoT and other unreasonable charges. They are committing a lot of fraud against Nigerian citizens.
“We must change the narratives. As a social crusader I crave for the best for everyone. We need to get our acts together. I am waking up the people’s conscience.
“I have arranged my team of lawyers to look at their books with FOI Act to see if what they’re doing is legal or not. We must check their excesses.
