PFN warns against sharia’ law in S’West

•Says, there’s hope for Nigeria

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Francis-Wale Oke has asked Nigerians not to lose hope in the Nigerian project.

Wale-Oke told journalists at a press conference to herald the end of the 18th National Biennial Conference and the 40th anniversary of PFN, in Abuja, on Friday, that God’s love and interest are with Nigeria and its people, and His glory will rise again.

He, however, reminded Nigerians of their responsibilities as citizens, and urged them to be patriotic and committed enough to the cause of transforming the country, economically, politically and otherwise.

He said: “For Nigeria, no matter how dire, terrible the situation, there is hope. After darkness comes the light; after the night comes the day. And so, God had been giving us this word of hope since we began, and all our people, in their tens of thousands, are going back to every corner of this nation with this message that there is hope for Nigeria.

“There is a call for all of Nigerians to turn to God, humble ourselves, pray, seek the face of God, and turn from our wicked ways. The Word of God is able to change people’s lives, to make them new creatures. And it is people that are changed that can change the nation.”

In response to the push for the establishment of Shari’a law in some South West states, the PFN Vice President, Rev Cosmas Ilechukwu, said: “Our position is that Nigeria is officially a secular state that does not endorse any specific religion.

“Our advice to the government is to stick to that. It is fair to our country that way. If for any reason whatsoever, the government begins to tilt towards recognising or promoting a particular religious system over the other, it may, undoubtedly, spell doom for the country.  “So, the best for Nigeria, because of our morality, ethnicity, is to remain a secular state in which individuals are allowed to be who they are. If we try to force everybody to become into one world, it’s going to create problems for us.”