By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
The President of One Love Foundation and Activist, Patriot Patrick Eholor has charged the newly elected Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council, Comrade Festus Alenkhe to use his position to serve the interest of the public with his journalism profession, and not the government.
Eholor gave this charge on Thursday in a chat with Journalists at the NUJ Press Centre in Benin City.
He congratulated Festus Alenkhe on his election as Chairman and for staying very firm during the election, adding that the Chairman own the public a genuine information that would serve their interest, because fake news is more popular than real news.
He also enjoined him to create a forum as soon as possible where information can be shared with the public for the good of the society.
“He must not direct his loyalty to the President of the nation or governors, but to the journalism profession where public interest will be served. I realised that Journalists eat fire for us to drink water”.
He also said that Journalists must make government accountable to the people through their reportage without compromise, and advised them to make sure they always balance their reports before publication.
He added that all the candidates that contested the NUJ election were all winners as there was no losers, and wished the Chairman well in his new assignment.
On his relationship with God, Comrade Patrick Eholor said he believed so much in God, but not in religion because he sees religion as politics.
“My religion is love. Without love there is no God. Beginning of God is love. When you love God you have love in you”.
He said he believed that many men have been playing God and stealing from Him as well, adding that politics emancipation has not made man free and that only Christianity can free man.
“But the preaching of pastors cannot free us because they do not practice what they preach. When God created man He did not create them with fear, but with sound mind that we all must uphold. I practice what I preach because I believed so much in love”.
He said he does not believe in material things, but who loved to share problems with the down trodden in the society.
He disclosed that he will soon establish a Television Station that will truly be independent as other private media houses in Nigeria are not independent, because they always serve the interest of their owners.