•Tinubu and bandits
Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on security in the country.
National President of the organisation, Wale Oke, made the call during a press conference, addressed at the end of its inaugural joint National Association Council/National Executive Council meeting in Lagos, yesterday.
Oke, who was flanked by notable executive members also enjoined Tinubu to favourably consider approval for state police towards strengthening the security architecture of the nation and also ensure opening of Nigerian borders so that food items could come into the country with a view to cushioning the effect of food insecurity and hunger in the land, which removal of petroleum subsidy is a contributory factor.
He said the border opening should be with proper security regulations to ensure illegal items are not smuggled into the country.
Oke also appealed to Nigerians, irrespective of tribal affiliation to accept Tinubu as president for the country to move forward.
He said: “To all Nigerians; everyone, everywhere in the East, North, West and South, we are living at a very dangerous time. There are many challenges facing Nigerians, serious security challenges that are threatening our future and corporate existence. We have terrible economic challenges. Now, nothing is predictable. Prices of everything are escalating everyday.
“We want to appeal to all Nigerians that politicking is over for now. We have a sitting president that has been validated by the Supreme Court. Let us bury our hatchets and join hands. The President, Tinubu, cannot solve the problem by himself alone. He cannot even do anything without our cooperation. When we all cooperate, knowing that we have no other nation that we can call our own. Nigeria is our nation.
“We should forget our political differences, as in the wound we suffered during the last electioneering. We should build a united Nigeria.
“Then, politicking will come again and we will have a nation to govern. But now, faced with these tremendously challenges, unlike no other time in our history, serious insecurity, serious food insecurity, serious economic insecurity, serious youth restiveness, let us come together, joining hands with President Tinubu, and find lasting solution to the problems of Nigeria.
“Having said we want to urge Mr. President to be president indeed. You are a seasoned politician. You know Nigeria like a man knows the back of his hands. Nigerians are in pains. Blood of innocent people are flowing everywhere. It is flowing in Plateau State, Benue State, Kaduna State, Ekiti State and everywhere.
“Mr. President, please declare a state of emergency on insecurity in Nigeria, and use your executive power as the commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to crush insecurity, and create a safe Nigeria, that is peaceful, where all of us can live. We even learnt that a group of people issued a threat on the social media platform all over the place, threatening that because election didn’t go their own way, and because the person who emerged as president did not do their bidding, they would make Nigeria ungovernable. This is illegal. The people that are issuing that threat are criminals. They should not be treated with kid-gloves.
“The president should put his feet down and crush rebellion. It is a rebellion against the authority of Mr. President, against the people of Nigeria. So, Mr. President, put your feet down and crush the people. They are now carrying it beyond banditry, and insurgency. It has become a matter of treasonable felony. Mr. President, you are elected for that purpose; save Nigeria. We want to assure you of the full cooperation of the over 65 million pentecostals in Nigeria. We will pray for you, give you advice and give you necessary information that will make you a success in dealing with this severe insecurity.
“Then, the food insecurity. Nigerians are hungry, prices of food commodities are escalating everyday. What Nigerians earn is not even sufficient to fuel their cars or fill their generators, talk less of food.”
