Activist and Founder, One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Eholor, speaks on police harassment, issues with the Code of Conduct Tribunal, and sundry matters, in this interview with BEN OGBEMUDIA

You were at the forefront of the campaign against police brutality during the EndSARS protest, has the situation changed?
I don’t like sympathy from people while talking about this issue because I am a victim of the assault by the police.

But one thing we are not seeing is that the police are also victims because the police brutalised me and threw me into the Black Maria, I spoke for them about how they are underpaid, how their barracks are poorly maintained, and the lack of insurance. These people were not trained but were bred by people as an assault force and that is why they jump and brutalise people.

After the EndSARS protests, panels were set up. What is your assessment of the reports being turned in by some of these panels?
The panel was set up to look into what has happened and set things that are wrong right and move forward as a country. Rwanda is one of the best countries in Africa. They suffered genocide but were able to recover from it through ‘truth and honesty.

Truth always has a way of reconciling an issue. People are questioning why the police who shot during the protest are still in their offices, why nothing has been done about the culprits, why the military who were supposed to protect our sovereignty are still there and none of them have been sanctioned or punished like.

Leaders that we hold in high esteem have disgraced and embarrassed us publicly because they don’t want to say the truth.

You have been fighting against human rights abuses especially that of the chairman of CCT, what is the situation now?
My attention was drawn to the incident that happened at Bannex Plaza in Abuja where a security man was slapped, beaten, and abused which is very inappropriate and inhuman especially from a man of that status in Nigeria.

If you cannot trust a messenger then you can’t trust his message. That’s why I dragged him to the floor of the senate because he can’t be trusted. Therefore, he should be suspended while they take a look at his conduct to see if he is fit to be a judge. It is absurd for a man of that standard in Nigeria to beat an ordinary security guard at the mall.

What is your assessment of the situation of things in the country?
Nobody will be happy with the situation in this country, what is wrong with Nigeria today is that Nigerians are not ready to put their lives on the line for justice to prevail. The power of democracy belongs to the people but when the people fear their leaders it means there is a dictatorship.

Do you think President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is doing enough to tackle the challenges confronting the nation?
I’ll rate the administration of Buhari zero because he has failed everyone. He told us insurgency like Boko Haram will be a thing of the past, insecurity, unemployment, fall in GDP, what happened to the roads he promised us like that of the westerners? His government worsens, the current state of the nation and there’s nothing to measure his rule because it is a complete disaster.

You’re from Edo State and you gave the governor an ultimatum demanding certain information. Can you tell us more?
A nation cannot be great without law. Governor Godwin Obasaki has failed because he never listens to the people. The security issue in Edo State has been going on for a long time. The vigilantes were not trained, they were not licensed to use guns and they cause disasters.

More could have been done if Obaseki had empowered them, given them good pay and good marshal training. Governor Obaseki is tough and he doesn’t care, he just imposes people on people. However, it is the fault of Adams Oshiomhole if only he allowed people to make their choice, and if he listens to the will of the people a lot of things wouldn’t have happened.

2023 is drawing near, what do you foresee?
My message is for us to stay united, speak the truth, and pray we have a country in 2023 because right now we don’t have a country. In Sokoto a few days ago people were travelling and they were hacked and all burnt. People are talking about what is not of the utmost importance, which is the 2023 election when they ought to be talking about security. I hope we don’t recycle ancestors to rule us again in 2023.

Do you subscribe to the next President coming from the South-East?
Even if a Fulani man or a Northern contestant for the presidency, if he truly cares for the people and Nigeria I’ll vote for them. The mistake we make is the rotation of the government.

The federal character has not worked for us and the best thing to do is to get the best person who is interested in our welfare that can secure our life and property, someone who doesn’t have the mind-set of wealth accumulation for himself. We don’t need failed people in the system as heads of various departments.

These northerners who have failed should not be head of immigration, head of police that is bad and it has to stop. It is not helping us, so, let’s do things the right way.

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Let whoever the cap fits wear it. Northerners and Easterners are human beings like us and they have quite intelligent ones amongst them that can heed the country and lead us right, but our problem is the fact we keep recycling our ancestors to rule us.

The former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has the right to contest but look at his age. Why can’t we find someone else who is young, vibrant, intelligent, smart, and has the right criteria? It shouldn’t be all about interest but about zeal and passion for change in the country.