Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, has lamented that 750 churches have so far been burnt by Islamic terrorists, Boko Haram, and calls on the Federal Government to compensate families of those killed by the insurgents.
Rising from its emergency National Advisory Council meeting at Ajao Estate in Lagos, southwest Nigeria on Thursday, PFN noted with concern that the church has been a major victim of the horrendous terrorist attacks in Nigeria.
“We have lost at least 750 churches in the North to attacks by terrorists. Our worry of late is that churches that are making efforts to rebuild are facing difficulty in that part of the country to secure necessary permits,” said PFN National President, Rev. Felix Omobude.
“We do not want to believe that there is deliberate effort to discriminate against the church, even though churches in the North have over the years, experienced difficulty with obtaining necessary approvals for their buildings,” he added.
He called for express approval of the applications by churches to rebuild their place of worship and schools as it is important that fairness and equity be evident at all times.
Omobude said there was the need for government to compensate families of those killed by Boko Haram as many of them were currently going through harrowing experiences.
On the 2015 elections, Omobude appealed to political leaders to restrain themselves and shift their focus beyond the narrow confines of winning elections as leadership of the country was not the birthright of anyone.
According to him, it is important that politicians do not destroy the country they aspire to rule, saying PFN looks forward to political parties engaging in robust issue-based discourse rather than the incessant personal and disparaging comments that are traded across board.
On the abducted Chibok girls, the PFN President condemned the abduction and demanded their immediate release, while lamenting the increasing upsurge in criminality and terrorism by Boko Haram.
“We call on the Federal and State Governments to increase their level of cooperation as it is a battle that can only be won when we are all united. We salute the courage of the Nigerian army and enjoin them to rededicate themselves to this cause and expedite action in ensuring the safe return of the girls.
“We challenge them to continue to stand as one, maintain unity of purpose and ensure that proper chain of command is maintained at all times. We have faith in their capacity and dedication to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria,” he stated.
On the killings by Fulani herdsmen, he lamented that these people evade the security forces and unleash terror on predominant Christian communities and appealed to the governments of the affected states to do something urgent to curtail the insurgents.
Pmnews