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Tag: PFN

  • Save lone Christian girl from Boko Haram’s captivity now, PFN, Afenifere tell Buhari

    The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to speed up actions in saving the last Dapchi schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu still held in Boko Haram’s captivity.

    Recall that 104 of the schoolgirls were freed and had since been reunited with their families last week.

    However, the remaining girl, Leah Sharibu was not released because of her refusal to renounce Christianity for Islam.

    Afenifere also called on the United Nations to investigate incessant killings by Fulani herdsmen across the country.

    Afenifere’s position was contained in a communique issued at the end of its monthly meeting held at the residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, the Ondo State capital, while the PFN’s was contained in a statement signed by its National President, Revd. Felix Omobude, on Tuesday.

    The pan-Yoruba group’s communiqué was read to journalists by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin.

    The Afenifere called on the Federal Government to ensure that the only Dapchi, Yobe State schoolgirl who still being held captive by Boko Haram, Leah Sharibu, and the remaining Chibok girls were rescued.

    Odumakin said, “We want the Nigerian Government to make the type of arrangement they made to free the 111 schoolgirls to free Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok schoolgirls in the custody of their captors. The Buhari administration cannot beat its chest that it is better than Jonathan’s government when these girls are still in captivity.”

    The PFN said that the continuous stay of Leah in bondage confirmed its worries that the activities of the terrorists and “killer herdsmen” had a “religious undertone.”

    The PFN, therefore, urged the Federal Government to do its best in order to ensure that the Dapchi girl returned home unhurt.

    The statement read in part, “What Leah Sharibu is going through has further confirmed our worries that the activities of Boko Haram and killer herdsmen have a religious undertone.

    “This kind of thing should not be happening in a free and democratic nation like Nigeria. It is really unacceptable.

    “We also call on her captors to release her unconditionally. The Federal Government must ensure her release just like the other girls.”

    The Christian organisation, however, called on the international community and friends of Nigeria to assist the country in facilitating the safe release of the girl and reunite her with her family.

    The PFN also urged Christians in the country to continue to offer prayers for her freedom.

    Afenifere said there was a need for the international community to investigate the killings by herdsmen and prevent the development from degenerating into a full-blown civil war in Nigeria.

    Afenifere, which noted that some people in some parts of the country were making pro-killer comments without any of them arrested by the government, called on the Federal Government to ensure disarmament of the killer Fulani herdsmen and reorganisation of the security organisations in the country.

    The group said, “The primary duty of any government is to protect lives and property and any government that cannot do that is not a government. With this and the claim from Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, it is clear that there is a state-aided genocide going on in Nigeria at the moment and with all these statements, from those who should stop it, making pro-killer comments, it is clear that there is no remedy in the Nigerian state as presently constituted.

    “We demand from the Nigerian authorities the immediate disarmament of the exclusive terror machine in the hands of Fulani herdsmen and the reorganisation of the architecture of security of Nigeria to reflect federal character.

    “We also ask the United Nations’ rapporteurs on genocide to investigate what is going on in Nigeria because if this disaster degenerates into a full scale war, the international community would have a serious problem on its hands.”

     

  • Arrest, prosecute killer herdsmen wrecking havoc across Nigeria, PFN urges FG

    Arrest, prosecute killer herdsmen wrecking havoc across Nigeria, PFN urges FG

    …says

    There should be no “sacred cows or sacrificial lambs’’ in the fight against corruption

    Arabic and French shouldn’t be the only languages of study in tertiary institutions

    CRK be reinstated as an independent subject at all levels

    FG should dialogue with IPOB and other agitating groups

    Nigerians are hungry

    The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, on Thursday urged the federal government to ensure there are no sacred cows in its fight against corruption in the country.

    Felix Omobude, the National President of PFN, spoke at the end of its 2nd quarter National Executive Council meeting held in Lagos at the Bishops Court, its National Headquarters

    The body, while commending the government for fighting corruption, urged it to be fair to all and to pursue the cause within the ambit of the laws of the land.

    Mr. Omobude said there should be no “sacred cows or sacrificial lambs’’ in the fight.

    He said the PFN was glad that some economic measures to revive the economy had been put in place.

    “However, the PFN is still concerned about the hardship the ordinary Nigerian is facing.

    “We are aware of the Social Intervention programmes, but we call for a more concerted on the part of Federal Government to mitigate the pains and generate more employment opportunities, especially for the youth.

    “We commend the efforts put into shoring up the naira in recent times, but we push for more concerted efforts in this regard.

    “The government’s drive to promote patronage of locally produced goods is a commendable one.

    “We urge Nigerians to fully embrace this initiative and consume what we produce locally,” Mr. Omobude said.

    He commended the government’s effort in tackling the insurgency in the country, urging it not to relent in its efforts at ensuring the release of the remaining Chibok girls.

    “PFN calls for more attention to be paid to the plight of the victims of the Southern Kaduna crisis.

    “PFN is worried at developments in Southern Kaduna, especially the lack of prompt response to guarantee the security of lives and property there, leading to a loss of lives of many indigenes of that area.

    “A delegation from the PFN recently paid a visitation to Southern Kaduna and made a presentation of N15 million worth of relief materials to the different groups, irrespective of ethnicity or religion.

    “From this visit, we can see that there is much more that urgently needs to be done for the people of Southern Kaduna and urgently too.

    “We call on the Federal government and Kaduna State Government to immediately improve on their rehabilitation efforts,” he said.

    The PFN leader also urged the government to ensure that Christian Religious Studies stands on its own as a separate subject as it has always been.

    “The PFN is concerned at the controversy that has attended the revised Basic Education Curriculum, especially the collapse of Christian Religious Studies as part of an omnibus subject known as Religion and National Values.

    “We noted the explanation by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) on some of the issues raised.

    “There is really no justification for the uncertainty the NERDC has created which has opened up the implementation of the curriculum to the whims and caprices.

    “Collapsing CRK as only a part of Religion and National Values forecloses the opportunity of the subject being studied at the tertiary level by students and is unacceptable,’’ he said.

    Speaking on the compulsory study of foreign languages, the PFN appealed that windows be opened up to more languages beyond French and Arabic, to accommodate other languages.

    “Windows of other languages should be open so our children can enjoy greater flexibility in foreign language study and not be compelled to study a language they have no interest in,’’ he said.

    He said that the PFN condemned the wanton killings by herdsmen, urging the Federal Government to take the issue of security more seriously, especially the spate of kidnappings all over the country.

    “We call for adequate and appropriate response of government to put an end to the activities of these killer herdsmen across the country,” he said.

    Mr. Omobude urged government of states where cattle rearing is a part and parcel of their culture to build ranches and develop reserves where cattle owners can husband their animals.

    “State governments should build ranches, so that cattle can be kept there without travelling long distances where they stray into farms, destroy crops and constitute nuisance and threat to other communities,’’ he said.

    The group urged government at all levels to do all they could to assuage the fears and concerns of everyone and ensure the practice of Federalism in its true form.

    “The PFN notes with concern the restiveness in different parts of the country and the increasing calls for a breakup of the country on the part of those purporting to speak for ethnic groups.

    “We restate our belief in the unity of Nigeria and a commitment to one Nigeria where people of different faiths and tongues can continue to live together as one.

    “We urge the government to pay attention to the calls for restructuring and find a way to push for further devolution of powers, while adopting an all-inclusive approach to governance and development in the country,” he said.

    (NAN)