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By Sunday Ani
National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Wale Oke, yesterday, bemoaned the skyrocketing prices of goods, while the workers’ salaries remained the same, urging President Bola Tinubu to urgently review upwards the salaries of workers, so they could cope with the new economic realities.
He made the call at a press conference after a joint meeting of the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), in Lagos.
He said following galloping inflation, which has rubbished the country’s currency, and led to consistent rise in the cost of food stuffs, and other essential materials like cement, the proper thing for the government to do is to increase the workers’ salaries, so that people could cope with the current economic realities.
Oke also called on all the presidential contestants in the 2023 general election to sheathe their swords, close ranks, and join hands with President Tinubu to build an egalitarian society that guarantees the growth and development of the economy.
“We commend and appreciate President Tinubu’s efforts to reposition the country and place it on the path of growth and development. We also know things are hard, as prices of goods and services continue to rise on a daily basis, while workers’ salaries remain the same. We want to urge the president to urgently do something about the workers’ salaries and general welfare.
“Beyond that, the president should also do something about the economy. Prices of cement and other foodstuffs are getting out of control. We are praying, and we know that God will help the president,” he said.
He equally decried the level of insecurity in Nigeria and called on President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on insecurity. This, he said, would enable the security agents to fight the hoodlums to a standstill and restore peace in the land. “Investors will not come into Nigeria if the issue of insecurity is not dealt with. The government should redouble its efforts at combating insecurity. We commend the security agents for what they are doing, but more efforts are needed so that instead of insecurity increasing as we witness almost on a daily basis, it will be reduced. What is happening is annoying, and we want the government to rise to the occasion,” he said.
The cleric urged the president to look into the banking sector, where he alleged the bank executives are opulently rich, blowing billions, and building mansions worth billions of naira, while Nigerians wallow in abject misery and want.
He said: “The banking sector should be sanitised. Our naira is almost worthless. The president should look into the naira issue. It is time for him to govern and give Nigerians quality leadership. We are praying for him not to fail, because if he fails, Nigeria has failed.”
