An activist, Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor (aka Ultimate Equal), President of the One Love Foundation, has issued the federal government a two weeks ultimatum to reopen the country’s universities which have been under lock and key for almost six months running on account of lecturer’s strike over welfare issues majorly.
The rights activist in a chat with The Trumpet said: “I have issued an ultimatum to the federal government that if the students do not return to school in 14 days we have no choice but to carry out a nationwide protest across the country, picket various parts of the country and give them some inconvenience that will make them realise that even though their children are abroad and not suffering what we are suffering we will no longer tolerate their irresponsibility. We are not going to stop until something is done.”
Speaking on the reformation of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Chief Eholor said: “The federal government has been introducing all kinds of measures but it has not been in the interest of the people. Before you introduce any measure why don’t we discuss continuously the 48 vessels that were stolen and sold?
“I think there was a panel set up on it and today we have not heard anything on the white paper on it. Now with the increase that we are unhappy about the government connived with the marketers to secretly hoard the product and today diesel is N800 per litre. PMS has gone up too.
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“Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), if you ask me, has failed completely. They are like toothless bulldogs. We don’t believe the federal government. What they should have done is to reduce the price of PMS and diesel. We have suffered enough in this country. They should also reduce the jumbo pay of politicians. In fact, legislative business should be like a part-time job.”
On monetization of politics Chief Eholor said, “I saw a viral video where a relative of the Governor-elect of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, I was sharing money to voters. I don’t know what the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) is doing. A video like that is sufficient to investigate the relative of Senator Adeleke.
“The other camps are equally guilty too. Those buying and selling votes are all corrupt. There should be a stiffer penalty by the government against those caught engaged in this because they are not only selling our votes but our future. There should be a law to criminalize them. Some people should be used as scapegoats.”
He asserted that the “Labour Party(LP) is beyond a political party but a massive movement for a change even though we have lower votes in the Osun election it is a reflection that we are going to cause an upstage between APC and PDP. We the Obedient have sent a message out that we are going to vote overwhelmingly. So when the two of them, APC and PDP are fighting then we win and I know it is going to be now or never because if we miss it now Nigeria may not exist again because of corruption. God forbid. And that is why people like us are working and waiting to vote for Peter Obi come 2023.
He gave a thumbs up to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) on its new guidelines.
“I think what is worrisome now is the vote buying but with the electronic transmission, our election will only get better. Today, we don’t celebrate those ballot box snatchers. Now those politicians who will tell you ‘I deliver my ward by using thugs’ will now bury their heads in shame.
“Today, it is your work that counts not all about the party. Will any reasonable Nigerian vote for the APC government? After keeping their children at home for the last 5 months. Do you know the depression some are going through? Some of them are mentally unstable so nobody will vote for APC.
“Atiku was the Vice President to Obasanjo. Under his watch, $16billion was spent on electricity and yet we are in darkness. Kwankwaso is famous for buying Asoebi and sharing to the downtrodden in Kano. We cannot vote for any deceitful person.
On the welfare package for security operatives, Chief Eholor said more need to be done to encourage them and show that their labour of love and patriotism to the Nigeria flag is recognised and appreciated. He recommended that the funds generated from lowering the cost of maintaining politicians and politics should be channelled towards giving children/wards of security operatives scholarships to help in their educational pursuits.
