By Ayodele Oni
Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, who is serving his second tenure in office, has said that a single tenure of five or six years is ideal for Governors, President and other elected political office holders.
The Governor believes that this would allow them enough time to do everything they have in mind within a single term instead of thinking about second term.
The Governor spoke on Wednesday while playing host to the National Executive of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), to flag off their retreat in Ibadan.
The Governor called on Nigerians to pray for those in positions of authority, noting that politics is over and it is time for governance.
Makinde stated: “But maybe, if we have the opportunity to discuss this, I think a five or six-years single term will really be enough for most of us to do whatever it is that we are supposed to do.”
He maintained that governance is about the interest and wellness of the country, noting that political parties would come and go but the country would remain stressing the need for Nigerians to pray and work with those in positions of authority.
The Governor, in a release by his Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, urged Nigerians to put politics behind them and face the task of governance.
“Political parties will come and go, but our country will remain. We must pray for those in authority. Politics is over. It is time for governance.
“These leaders God has asked us to pray for are products of who the political parties present to us. And these leaders have been chosen, we are obligated to pray for them and work with them.
“Well, if we don’t like those in authority, what should we do? We have another opportunity in another four years to vote again.”
The governor described the theme of the retreat, “Going from Strength to Strength,” as indicative of where Nigeria should be as a nation.
He urged Nigerians to join hands to rebuild the nation, while calling on Christians to pray for the restoration of Nigeria’s glory so that it could go from strength to strength.
“I listened to the National President of PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, on the theme chosen for this serious event, ‘Going from Strength to Strength. Well, I think this is really apt, because that is where we are supposed to be as a nation.
“We must think about rebuilding our nation and the role the body of Christ has to play in that process. The Bible asks Christians to pray for their leaders.
“As Christians, we should carry out the work that God has assigned to us effectively.”
Governor Makinde equally used the occasion to call on Christians to make conscious efforts to participate in politics.
He said, by so doing, the ones considered unfit by the majority would not continue to make decisions for the majority of the people.
Earlier in his address, the PFN National President, Bishop Wale Oke, said the retreat came at a very critical time in the nation’s history.
He noted that the country had just gone through a general election that shook the nation to its foundation and almost pitched Nigerians against one another.
