*Urges Buhari To Beef Up Security In Northern Schools
*Demands Pantami’s Resignation
By Ovie Okpare
A former Vice President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Simeon Okah, has called on Nigerian leaders to allow the South-East geopolitical zone to produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023.
Bishop Okah, who is however disturbed by the growing insecurity in the region, called for a restrain in the growing attacks on police and other security formations in the South-East, saying such could intimidate security agents posted to the zone to secure lives and property in the region into abandoning their jobs.
The Christian leader made assertions during a press conference at the headquarters of Flock of Christ Mission in Enerhen, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, on the state of insecurity in the country on Thursday.
Okah, who is the Presiding Bishop of Flock of Christ Mission, noted that Igbo people should be given the chance to produce the next Nigeria’s President in the interest of justice and fairness, adding that there are capable persons from the region that can lead and stabilize the country.
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According to him, “The advantage in zoning is that it makes every part of this country to be important in the choice of who to rule. I am not from the East but if you ask me, I’ll say let’s pick somebody from the Eastern part of the country. Let the Igbos know that they’re not conquered. They (Igbos) have contributed to the growth of the country.
“In a matter of fact, the people who have done more for this country really are the people from the East. Every corner of this country and anywhere you go, you find Igbo people there because of the grace of God in their lives in the area of trade. So, why not look for someone that is known and has the grace to be a leader from there? Someone who has showcase high quality of leadership to be President in 2023.”
Addressing the growing insecurity and kidnapping of schoolchildren especially in the northern part of the country, the cleric called on President Buhari and Nigerian governors to sit up and urgently tackle the ugly development.
He particularly urged the Federal Government to beef up security around schools across the norther part of the country, saying the kidnapping of schoolchildren by bandits would negatively affect education in the level educational development of the country.
Bishop Okah, who is a member of PFN National Advisory Council, pointed out that the growing insecurity was already pushing away potential investors in the country, adding that “No country can develop in absence of peace and security.
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“The Federal Government of Buhari and the Governors should prioritise issue of security. Nobody should play politics with it. The President should sit up and take this insecurity serious. There should be end to kidnapping of schoolchildren in the north.”
He also advocated for the inclusion and teaching of security training from secondary school to the university level as it is done in developed countries such as Israel to create security awareness among Nigerian youths.
The PFN leader also urged the Federal Government to make salaries of security personnel attractive as well as to adequately armed them with new technologies and facilities to checkmate the situation.
While faulting calls for the granting of amnesty to rampaging bandits and members of terrorist groups especially in the north, the Delta-born Christian observed that majority of the bandits were foreigners.
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Meanwhile, Bishop Okah has called for the immediate resignation or sack of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, who was indicted for supporting the activities of Islamic terrorist groups in the past.
The cleric noted, “A leader who doesn’t have integrity and doesn’t love this country should resign. In the developed country where we copied our constitution, before issue like this become of public interest he would have resigned. For me, he should resign or Buhari show him the way out. A leader is one who lives by example.”
