… Backs call for State Police
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on insecurity that is currently ravaging the country.
The Christian body made the call in Lagos on Thursday at its 1st Quarter Joint NAC/NEC Meeting which held at its headquarters.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, National President, PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, who was flanked by national executive members of the Fellowship, said the economic challenges facing Nigerians have been compounded by the spate of insecurity plaguing the country.
He said the body is appealing to the President not to treat the security challenges facing the nation with kid gloves.
“Nigerians are living in a very dangerous time. There’s insecurity everywhere and there is terrible economic challenges. We call on the President to declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country.
” We also use this opportunity to call on everyone who participated in the elections of last year to note the fact that politics is over and so bury the hatchet. We call for unity among all our leaders, irrespective of the party they belong, to join hands together with President Tinubu to build a strong, united and prosperous country for all.
” We call on President Tinubu to be president indeed. Nigerians are in so much pain. Blood is flowing everywhere. There’s food scarcity and there are other sundry challenges associated with insecurity. That’s why he must as a matter of urgency declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country, ” he said.
The PFN condemned an alleged threat by those who didn’t win their elections and who have reportedly vowed to make the country ungovernable for the president. The Fellowship noted that it was not a good idea for those who lost in an election, which has now been validated by the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, to continue to insist on carrying on as if campaign is still on.
Bishop Oke called on the Federal Government to work on the economic problems urgently. He stated that the 65 million strong members of the PFN are behind the president and will continue to support him.
” We will continue to give you counsel and we are prepared to join hands with you to develop Nigeria. Be rest assured that we are behind you in your effort to build a peaceful, prosperous and united Nigeria, he added.
PFN also threw its weight behind the call for State Police, saying it is urgently needed. It argued that the Nigeria Police Force as currently constituted makes it difficult for its personnel to perform optimally.
It submitted that apart from the fact that the Force is overstretched, personnel who were born, bred and had lived all their lives in Lagos will find it difficult to perform the role of policing Zamfara or Cross River State or Borno because they do not understand the local dialect and are not familiar with the terrain.
It equally asked the Federal Government to open the borders for essential goods to come in. PFN observed that the closure of the borders by the previous administration has contributed greatly to the current food crisis being experienced in the country. But it also cautioned that care must be taken to ensure that it doesn’t lead to the proliferation of small and light weapons.
Speaking for the first time on the controversial BBC Documentary of the late Prophet TB Joshua, PFN said the late Prophet was never a member of the Fellowship and so it finds it difficult to comment on the documentary. It insisted that PFN doesn’t condone anything outside the scriptures and doesn’t encourage practices that are controversial and call the Christian faith to question.
Among the executive members president during the press briefing are National Deputy President, Archbishop Johnpraise Daniel; National Secretary, Dr Cosmas Ilechukwu; National Treasurer, Rev. Samuel Aboyeji among others.
