By Chesa Chesa
The President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been advised to form an all-inclusive government by ensuring that his appointment of persons into public positions reflect national spread in line with the Federal Character principle.
The advice was given on Saturday by the Bishop of Methodist Church of Nigeria, Nyanya, Abuja Diocese, Rt. Reverend Kehinde Adeyemi, during the 13th Annual Synod of the Diocese, with the theme ‘Contending for the Faith’ held at Wesley Methodist Church Nigeria, Area C, Nyanya, Abuja.
The Bishop also lamented that Nigerian masses are suffering and tasked Tinubu to carry on his official duties of running Nigeria with the fear of God.
The cleric noted that although the 2023 presidential election had come and gone, however, a man of reasonable prudence and sanity could not shy away from noting the obvious post-election dissatisfaction and pain on the part of the opponents.
He therefore, urged the President-elect to extend olive branch to other contestants in the February 25 Presidential election, in which he was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Adeyemi said: “I humbly appeal to the President-elect to reach out, in the interest of national building, to those who contested against him for the office, with the aim of running an all-inclusive government towards the overall interest of our country, Nigeria.
“I equally want to implore that all grievances and complaints from individuals and/or groups, emanating from the elections, be expressed lawfully, and same be channeled to the appropriate quarters.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that peace and tranquility reign in the land at all times. As such, we all should work to maintain the peace in the land while we pray to Almighty God for a better tomorrow.
“It is important to state that our unity as a Nation cannot be sacrificed on the altar of ethnicity or tribal basis. Nigeria is a multiethnic country and our strength is in our unity as a nation.
“We must all condemn and frustrate any attempt by unscrupulous elements to truncate our unity as a Nation.
“However, I want to appeal to the incoming administration to as a matter of necessity ensure the even spread of political structures and appointments to reflect the National Character of the Nation across all the regions within Nigeria.
“I want to particularly ask the incoming President to please, have the fear of God in mind and have the love of the masses in mind. Let all the policies that will emanate from his office be for the advancement of the masses in this country, because people are suffering.”
He noted that Nigeria had remained a nation because of the boundless mercies and favour of God in spite of the bickering in politics, exacerbated by “tribal wars, failed policies, and many happenings that would have marred the nation”.
“In truth, Nigeria within the last one year has been bedeviled by many crises, ranging from insecurity of lives and properties, kidnapping, banditry, high rate of inflation and the very recent cash-crunch happenstance, foisted on Nigerians by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)”, Adeyemi stated.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, who was Special Guest of Honour and represented by a Director in his office, Mr. Ifiok Abia, said Nigerians should continue to have faith in the country, noting that faith, holiness and salvation remained the hallmark of Christianity as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
He noted that what impressed him about the Synod, was the integrity and transparency with which the Methodist Church runs its affairs, saying this is something that all agencies of Government can imbibe towards nation building, especially as a new administration is imminent.
