Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has urged President Bola Tinubu and the ministers-designate recently assigned portfolios to assuage the pains of Nigerians rather than add to their long-drawn anguish and sorrow occasioned by poor governance experienced under the past leadership.
Bishop Oke appealed to the President to find ways to work with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to avoid war over the military coup in the Niger Republic.
The PFN President who made the appeal while addressing a press conference in Ibadan, to mark the end of a three-day retreat for PFN executives, said rather than fight those who did not contribute to his electoral victory, the President should be magnanimous by bringing relief to all Nigerians regardless of class or creed.
The Presiding Bishop, Sword of The Spirit Ministries International, who was flanked by other leaders of the Fellowship, however, enjoined the citizens to also prepare to submit to the verdict of the presidential election tribunal in good faith bearing in mind the fact that greater tomorrow which lies ahead of the country is peaceful.
According to him, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assigned portfolios to the new ministers, 46 of them. We have counsel for you Mr. President and the cabinet. The experience in the last eight years had been very traumatic for Nigerians viz-a-viz kidnapping, banditry, Fulani herdsmen, ritualism, all manners of evil. Then with the economy, Nigerians are battling with so much, so Mr. President and the ministers, please relieve Nigerians of their pains, don’t add to it.
“Be conscious of the fact that we are a very traumatised nation. Add balm and relieve Nigerians of their pains in the areas that I mentioned insecurity, poor economy and awful.
“Nigeria had just gone through the general election; it was a keenly fought election. We want to enjoin all Nigerians to accept the verdict of the tribunal and let’s move on with rebuilding the foundation. We should come together in unity and let the healing begin because the politics of the past few months (during electioneering) inflicted serious injury on people in various sectors of our nation. We should learn a lesson from Sudan. Thirty years ago, they had an election that led to war.
“We cannot afford a war. We don’t want war in Nigeria. So, when the tribunal read out its verdict, let everybody bury the hatchet. Let’s join our hands together to build Nigeria. If we do that, another election would come. The loser now can be the winner tomorrow if there is a nation. If there is war, there will be no room for elections, so let’s accept whatever verdict the tribunal would render and let’s go ahead to build a new Nigeria.”
The cleric, while noting that military coup is old-fashioned and must not be supported in Nigeria, West Africa or any part of the world, however cautioned against going to war to resolve the crisis in Niger Republic.
“Blood will flow when you go to war, women would become widows when you go to war, and children would become fatherless when you go to war, so going to war shouldn’t be an option. What about drawing sanctions? We are praying for you that the Lord will guide you as our President. Please don’t go to war.”
