The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has told President Muhammadu Buhari to do more to secure Nigerians, saying that the country has been polarised along ethnic, religious lines.
The PFN spoke in an Easter message on the heels of worsening insecurity in the country that has, of recent, seen several cases of kidnappings and banditry, including the abduction of eight members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), a member of the fellowship.
In the message signed by the PFN President, Bishop Wale Oke; National Deputy President, Archbishop John Praise Daniel; National Secretary, Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu; and National Publicity Secretary, Bishop Emma Gospel Isong; the fellowship urged Buhari to live up to his promise to guarantee the security of all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity or faith.
It also called on the National Assembly to address the issues of insecurity, unemployment, infrastructure deficit and the rot in the education and health sectors, while the Judiciary should live up to the tenets of fairness, transparency, equity and justice in all that they do.
The PFN told state governors to pay more attention to the needs and welfare of their citizens.
On violent non-state actors, the PFN urged them to stop the wanton killing of Nigerians.
The PFN message reads in part, “To the President: We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to do more to secure the lives and properties of all Nigerians. We appreciate the sacrifices being made by the Police, the Armed and paramilitary forces to ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians.
“We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to live up to the promise to guarantee the security of all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity or faith. We appeal to him to do more, as the Father of all, to rally Nigerians and ensure that the walls of the divide that has polarized Nigerians are brought down.
“The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) calls on the National Assembly to do more in addressing the issues of insecurity, unemployment, infrastructure deficit, the rot in education and health sectors, especially the issue of out-of-school children. We believe that the legislature can do much more to deliver better governance through the use of its oversight powers, rather than dissipating energy on diversionary bills that do not address the challenges holding Nigerians back.
“The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) appeals to the Judiciary, at all levels, to continue to live up to the tenets of fairness, transparency, equity and justice in all that they do. We restate our position for a balance in terms of appointments into the Judiciary at the national level, so that there is representation across the different states, geo-political zones and religions, to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done by everyone.”