From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), an umbrella body over all pentecostal churches in Nigeria with about 65million people, have called on President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria should be properly governed with equity and justice dispensed to everybody, and the justice should not just done, but should be seen to have been done.

National President of PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, who is the Presiding Bishop of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, made the call on Tuesday when he played host to members of the Lagos Varsity Christian Alumni Fellowship (LVCAF) that were members of the Lagos Varsity Christian Union (LVCU) of the University of Lagos. He hosted them at the Precious Cornerstone University (PCU), Laogun, Ibadan.

The LVCAF’ entourage include the body’s General Secretary, Kunle Ajijola; founder of World Communication Ministries (WOCOM), Apostle Sunday Popoola; former General Secretary, Gospel Faith Mission International, Pastor Adebayo Ojo, and so on.

Oke, who led LVCU, when he was in in UNILAG between 1977 and 1982, noted: “We are talking about Nigeria. I have gone round Nigeria again and again with crusades, with teachings and with prayer rally. I know every state of Nigeria like a man knows the back of his hand. I am a little familiar with the challenges of Nigeria. And I can say that fundamentally, the challenge of Nigeria is spiritual. If the church gets it right, the nation will straighten out. Spiritual power is overruling power. If other powers misbehaved, the spiritual power should confront them, and they must bow. I know that and that makes me not to shiver.”

The PFN President stated further: “First and foremost, we welcome our President back from United Kingdom. Mr. President, we love you. We in the pentecostals, we are praying for you. We want to remind this nation that at a time when president was critically ill, a lot of people were suggesting or saying he was going to die. People were already speculating succession. One of our icon leaders in the pentecostals, travelled to London under the instruction of the Holy Spirit, prayed for our President, and God heard our prayers and restored him back, the president did not die.

“So, let nobody say or think that the pentecostals hate this president. We don’t. We were part of the people that voted him in. We love him, we are praying for him. But the pentecostals want to remind our president of his number one responsibility to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians, no matter where they come from, be it West, North and South. We want to remind our president that politicking is over. Governance is what he is into now. He is not going to be president again. After this term, he must hand over.

“Please, Mr. President, govern all Nigerians, love all Nigerians, be a father to all Nigerians, bring all Nigerians together, and do not allow a tribe or an ethnic group to lord over any other group in Nigeria. Be just, fair and give equal justice to everybody, equal treatment to everybody.

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“A lot of people perceived that there is nepotism in appointments, and that a certain segment dominates the security apparatus. This is to the extent that some are opining that even the change that was effected in the security leadership was just a token, nothing has changed fundamentally, that the various segments of the nation are not properly represented, that when the security team sits to have a meeting on the larger Nigeria, whom they are going to decide about, are absent at the meeting. Mr. President, please adjust this. And let justice not only be done, but be seen to be done.

“Mr. President should know that the people that love you are the ones that will tell you the truth. We are not begging for oil bloc. We don’t need it. In fact, we carry superior oil. We are not begging for contract. We are not begging for appointments. We are insisting that Nigeria should be properly governed with equity and justice dispensed to everybody, that is not just done, but that is seen to have been done.”

Oke noted further that a lot of damage had been done “under this administration, particularly in the area of security; Fulani herdsmen, the bandits, kidnappings, raping, killings, demanding for ransom. They are asking us to pay ransom.

“Mr. President, when we voted you into power, we paid ransom. Asking us to pay ransom again means the government has failed. The Inspector General of Police, when you were appointed, we paid ransom. When you rise up to deliver Nigeria from these evil people, then we will not need to pay ransom the second time. We are in a situation now that people paid ransom and they still get killed. It is an era of wickedness. Normally, people will surround the president and not tell him the truth. But we, we love you, and we fear God, and we want it to be well with Nigeria.”

Oke also told President Buhari: “You have risen to become a General  in what supposed to be the most prestigious military formation in all of Africa. Please, weigh in with that experience and stop the banditry, the kidnapping that are coming up in Nigeria. We are praying for you genuinely. We are supporting you truly, and that is why we are telling you the truth.

“If false information is being peddled that the nation is fine, the truth is that the nation is far from fine. The agitation for separation has never been as loud as it is now, not even during the civil war. During the civil war, it was the East that wanted to go. Every other part of the nation united to bring the East back. Now, there is agitation in the South South, South East, South West, North Central. It has never been this bad.

“Mr. President, we are praying for you for strength, health, and wisdom. Please, rise to the occasion. It is not too late to bring Nigeria together. Damages have been done. If Mr. President will respond to our call, this genuine counsel, and he exert his executive authority, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigeria can still be brought together. We are praying for you. The Lord will keep you and preserve you. May God bless Nigeria.”