The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale-Oke, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing him as a courageous, pragmatic, and strategic leader who is already making meaningful impacts across various sectors in Nigeria.
Bishop Wale-Oke made these remarks during a press conference held on Thursday at the Cornerstone City along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ibadan. He expressed admiration for President Tinubu’s efforts in addressing the numerous challenges he inherited upon assuming office.
According to the cleric, who also serves as the Presiding Bishop of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Ibadan, President Tinubu has taken bold steps to address what he referred to as the “mess” in the nation’s security, economy, politics, education, healthcare, and other critical sectors. He emphasized that the President is working hard to fix the nation’s systemic problems and deserves the support and prayers of all Nigerians.
Bishop Wale-Oke congratulated the President on his 73rd birthday, commending his performance so far in office and thanking him for the congratulatory message sent to the PFN on the bishop’s re-election as National President of the fellowship.
“I join other Nigerians in celebrating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his 73rd birthday. So far, so good, he has been performing commendably. He inherited a lot of problems: insecurity, economic instability, political divisions, issues in education and healthcare. Yet, he has taken proactive steps to address them,” he said.
“He is not a messiah, but he is a courageous leader pragmatic, strategic, and politically astute. We are praying that God continues to strengthen and guide him as he steers the country toward greater heights.”
He added, “On behalf of over 86 million Pentecostals in Nigeria and the diaspora, we say happy birthday to our President. We appreciate your kind message to me on my re-election as PFN President, and we assure you of our prayers.”
Turning to recent security developments, Bishop Wale-Oke condemned the tragic killings in Uromi, Edo State, where individuals suspected to be kidnappers were reportedly lynched. He stressed that such extrajudicial killings have no place in the Nigerian constitution and called for justice to be served.
The cleric appealed to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, and Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to collaborate in ensuring that the perpetrators of the killings are identified and prosecuted. He also urged Nigerians not to pressure the governors or resort to retaliatory attacks, warning that vengeance would only worsen the situation.
“We at the PFN strongly condemn the unfortunate incident in Edo State where innocent people, mistaken for kidnappers, were gruesomely killed. There is no justification legally or morally for such acts. Every Nigerian has the constitutional right to live and move freely within any part of the country,” he declared.
“We urge Governors Okpebholo and Yusuf to work together to ensure justice is done. The killers must be brought to book to serve as a deterrent. The sanctity of life must be upheld, and no Nigerian should be targeted because of their origin or background.”
The PFN leader emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and called on citizens to remain calm and avoid escalating tensions through reprisal actions.
“Let there be no escalation. No more killings. What has happened is already a tragedy adding more pain will not help anyone. Let us not repay evil with evil,” he appealed.
Furthermore, Bishop Wale-Oke urged the Federal Government to give equal attention to other similar violent incidents occurring across the country. He cited recurring attacks in Benue, Plateau, Taraba, the Southeast, and parts of the Southwest like Ondo and Ekiti, where farmers have repeatedly been assaulted and killed, allegedly by herders.
“While we condemn the Edo killings, we also ask the government to respond with equal urgency to other ongoing attacks particularly in states like Benue, Plateau, Taraba, and even in the East and parts of the Southwest. Our farmers are being killed, and it’s disheartening that many of these incidents go unresolved,” he noted.
In conclusion, Bishop Wale-Oke reiterated PFN’s call for the establishment of state policing, arguing that Nigeria is too vast and diverse to be effectively policed from the center. According to him, decentralizing law enforcement will enhance security across the nation.
