A popular Nigerian clergyman has advocated scrapping of state electoral commissions to give verve to the proposed local government autonomy, saying it won’t amount to anything different if the commissions were not scrapped.
The National Publicity Secretary of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Gospel Emmah Isong who stated this on Tuesday argued that the state governors can use electoral commissions to put their cronies in places of authority while council chairmen would be used as conduit pipes to siphon local government funds.
Isong, who is also the General Overseer of Christian Central Chapel International CCCI a.k.a Faith Mansion, was appraising the state of the nation in an interactive session with journalists in Calabar.
He advocated more allocation of funds to local government councils after the reforms to enable them to establish cottage industries to develop the councils and stem rural-urban migration.
The clergyman, however, dismissed claims on the islamisation of country through the proposed establishment of Fulani Radio.
Noting that there was no cause for alarm, the PFN scribe said he does not believe the proposed Fulani Radio yet to be set up was a clandestine move by the north to Islamise Nigeria.
He said: “Nobody can Islamise Nigeria; it is impossible, Nigerians should not be afraid. For me, I don’t think this can happen. What former President Olusegun Obasanjo said about ‘Fulanisation’ of the country is not new.
“Other ethnic groups and the governors of South-South, South-East and South-West should also ask the Federal Government to grant them licences to establish ethnic radio stations.”
However, Isong expressed displeasure about the worsening security situation in Nigeria, adding that what was happening in the country now was not different from the situation that snowballed into the Rwanda genocide.
“The bane of this country is social hypocrisy and political sycophancy. Nobody is honest, nobody is speaking the truth.”
“Politicians have polluted the pulpit. They have penetrated the church and other religious places. The church must retrace its steps by pulling out of the political circle. The closeness is such that they cannot be separated.
“People in government should stop campaigning from the pulpit. If they have any message, they should call church leaders and talk to them,” he said.
The PFN scribe stated that Nigeria still had better days ahead, after 20 years of uninterrupted democracy, and urged Nigerians not to loose faith but be optimistic.
He said if leaders of the nation could afford to employ dialogue on a round table where issues affecting the people were discussed, a lot of grievances could be resolved.
