As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumes office, Adeola Ogunlade spoke to some church leaders on their expectations from the new president, especially in the area of economy and insecurity.
Follow through on your manifesto -OAIC President Akinadewo
The President, Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC)/Prelate, Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide (MCCSW), Elder Israel Akinadewo has joined others in congratulating Nigeria’s president.
He assured that Tinubu would not disappoint Nigerians.
According to him, “My assertion on this also comes from his pedigree in leadership, for identifying and training men and women of high repute and giving them roles for effective transformation.
“He did it in Lagos and I also believe that his experience during the electioneering period will serve as motivation towards success and for him to avoid complacency that pervades African leadership.”
He advised Tinubu to focus on the manifestos that he campaigned with. “I studied it critically, and I could see sincerity from that document. Be that as it may, he needs to take the appropriate steps to improve the economic situation of the country. People are really suffering and mostly affected are the micro, small and medium enterprises.”
Akinadewo pointed out that the new government should dwell more on security, adding that there was a need for an intentional and more decisive approach to address insecurity across the nation.
“I should expect him to eradicate these constant strikes in our tertiary institutions. Lagos State higher institutions are good templates that could be adopted nationally. He did for Lagos State and I believe he should bring that success to the national level. As he said immediately after his declaration in the general elections of his plan to give education loans to students, he should keep to this promise. If done, I believe it will stabilise the academic calendars of our institutions. There should also be a tremendous improvement in the general welfare of academics.”
He said Tinubu should replicate what he did as the Lagos State, by creating avenues to improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the country. “This could be from the angle of exploring more sectors like mining, looking in the way of bitumen and more focus on agriculture. He should, however, be careful so as not to overburden the citizens and struggling businesses on double taxation.”
The cleric posited that the country is so divided, especially along ethnicity and religion, he advised that appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that these gaps being explored by the enemies of the country are bridged. “I also expect him to bring more awareness to the National Orientation Agency of Nigeria. We need reorientation, especially the youths of this country. People need to know that Nigeria is our country and we must do everything possible to defend her. We must change the negative way that we think about our country.
“Having said that, I expect a government that will bring together all Nigerians, irrespective of party affiliations, ethnic and religious leanings. Just as he said some time ago, he should bring together a government of national competence.”
Akinadewo stressed the need to reduce the cost of governance because the national assembly members should not be remunerated on the criteria of meetings held.
“The new president should also do everything to discourage our professionals from leaving this country. This cannot be done through coercion, but by instituting good policies. Nigeria loses millions of dollars through the ‘japa’ mindset and this has reached a pandemic level. This is one of the things which put intense pressure on the naira, including our reliance more on importation than exportation to other nations. It was said in 2022 that Nigeria contributed £1.9bn to the economy of the UK, from our students that went to study in just one year. This was primarily a result of the unpredictable nature of our academic calendars as well as the high level of unemployment”.
“The health sector should also be critically evaluated. Medical officers should be well remunerated and they should bring more innovative ideas to the sector to make our hospitals world-class. This, if done, will reduce our going abroad for medical purposes,” he said.
Revamp the economy-Lagos CAN Chairman
The Lagos State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Bishop Stephen Adegbite , also called on the President to focus on revamping Nigeria’s ailing economy and blocking all the holes existing in governance.
Adegbite said this in an interview with The Nation, saying that the new government must make frantic efforts at revamping our economy and blocking all the holes existing in governance. “There must be a genuine intention to tackle corruption headlong so that we can have a better environment safe for Nigerians and would-be investors,” Adegbite said.
He noted that though Nigerians must recognise that there is an economic meltdown in the world, what is being witnessed is not only peculiar to Nigeria, notwithstanding, however, the incoming president should ensure that there is an enviable environment that is conducive enough for people to come and invest. “We must also go back to the days when we exported our things. We should not be a consuming economy, if we don’t have things we export, there is no way that the economy will improve.”
On security, Adegbite said that providing security for all Nigerians should be the number one priority of the new administration and we must reduce the incidences of insurgency to the barest minimum.
According to the cleric, what all Nigerians want is the total eradication of the insurgency in Nigeria. Insecurity has stayed for a long time, adding that it will take time to get them out of their hiding place, but we must be sincere in getting them out.
“We must redesign the military apparatus so that they can do their job professionally. Nigeria’s military cannot say that they can’t defeat Boko Haram. The same Nigerian military fought in other countries like Liberia, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone. They can deliver in Nigeria and God will help them.”
He posited further that everyone must play their part; the government alone cannot do it.
He enjoined citizens to give intelligence reports to the military personnel.
He saluted the courage of our fallen heroes and prayed that God would be with the families they left behind. “God will continue to bless our nation and take Nigeria to the promised land, “he said.
Democratize economic opportunities for Nigeria – Fubara-Manuel
The Former President of the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Bishop Benebo Fubara-Manuel has called on the President Tinubu to bring Nigeria together and democratize economic opportunities for all Nigerians.
Fubara-Manuel said that the last election had divided Nigerians across ethnic and religious lines and the incoming President must make it a duty to bring the country together so that he can succeed.
“These dissenting voices between Christians and Muslims should be looked into. He should erase the obnoxious belief that religion makes a good President. We want to see him as a sincere man who loves Nigerians whether they are Christians or Muslims.”
He added that there was no way that life would move in this country if the economy stagnated. “He has to bring the trust of international communities to come and invest in Nigeria so that the economy will flow. He has to break the power of monopoly in our country.
“I want to state that the newly built refinery by Dangote is a good venture and worth celebrating, it is a good thing but how will the country operate without any functional refinery? With only one person having a functional refinery, how are we going to survive?” the cleric asked.
He appealed to the new President to do everything he can to make sure that the refineries are working, adding that the idea of selling crude and importing PMS, Diesel, and Kerosine should stop.
Fubara-Manuel asked the President to explore the ingenuity in Rivers, Delta that has led to oil bunkering. “These people produce enough good diesel that will be used to run generators even when they are not pure enough.
“How are they doing these and how can the knowledge be used to create an industry for the Rivers and Delta people is key. This blanket condemnation, including myself, because I will never support illegal bunkering, can be turned into ingenuous renewal in these two states.
“Illegal oil bunkering is wrong and is not fair for the environment. But how do we put it into the proper industry so that they don’t continue to destroy our waterways? Oil and gas are important to me as it remains the mainstay of our economy in Nigeria. Our farmlands are being destroyed, our people cannot fish nor can they farm again,” he said.
He pointed out that the relationship between the economy and national security has become increasingly interlinked.
“Let us bring back the economy, and then Nigeria will be secure. We need to clean the old players who are so corrupt, let us try new and better hands.”
Make security, unity your priority – Osa Oni
The South West Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, (PFN), and Presiding Prelate of Vineyard Christian Ministries, Archbishop John Osa-Oni, said that the new government would do well with the prayers and support of all Nigerians, saying that the new President must do everything possible to unite Nigeria.
“We believe that he will do well, with all our prayers and support. We believe that if he could do what he did in Lagos with meagre resources and even with Obasanjo denying him financial allocation and now with more resources available, I believe that he will do well”.
Osa Oni reiterated the need for prayers for the new government. “The Bible says that we should pray for those in positions of authority so that they lead us peacefully. It is not our making and until the court says otherwise.
“Number one thing that the government should look into is security, no nation strives with insecurity. It is a major key. If he can handle it, we will have a booming nation. No one wants to invest their money in an insecure nation.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s economy is facing challenges, the cleric is optimistic that it will bounce back on the stream of the global trend.
“One major area he needs to focus on is security and he needs to focus on uniting Nigeria. No country strives when one or two regions are aggrieved. He must bind everybody together. I am aware that Tinubu will constitute a unity government. He will bring some unexpected people to power, and appoint them as ministers. I believe that that will heal the nation,” he said.
Adhere to your covenant with the people – CYM tells Tinubu
A youth-led organisation for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the APC, The Christian Youths Movement, has called on the President-elect to ensure a proper reward mechanism as he plans to form his government.
The group in a statement signed by its National Convener Comrade Adeleke Olorunwa and Mr Odiari Arinze Jude said that it was important to point Asiwaju’s attention to the enormous contributions of Nigerians collectively and individually towards attaining electoral victory.
The youth population regardless of some who held different views of the situation gave overwhelming support to the APC Tinubu/Shettima ticket with the hope that Nigeria’s Hope will be genuinely Renewed.
The group went further to remind Asiwaju of his manifestos and charged him to please make real his campaign programmes and covenant with Nigerians. This they say would make them proud of their effort and support as they carry their shoulders high.
“We are proud of the efforts of our members across Nigeria, commitment and dedication to the Tinubu/Shettima struggle. It is indeed a delight that we backed a ticket that was sellable and eventually victorious despite the odds. May we all live to enjoy a new and advanced Nigeria under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President,” the group said.
While appreciating the supports gotten from notable individuals who aided the campaign activities, including the former former Governor of Benue State and Minister of Special Duties Senator George Akume; Jigawa State Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar; and Chief of Staff to Lagos State Governor, Mr Tayo Ayinde.
We hereby call on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to adequately compensate the trio for their capacity, loyalty and dedication to the course. It is equally important to remind the President of his enormous youthful inclusion into his administration.
