Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has advocated the need to adopt a five-year single tenure for President, governors, National Assembly and state Assembly members to stop the problems that usually arise from the quest for second term by politicians.
The governor made the call yesterday at the retreat of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), held at Maja Avenue, Jericho, Ibadan.
He charged Nigerian leaders to brace up for the task of rebuilding the country in line with the vision of the founding fathers, noting that it has become imperative for Nigerians to come together to rebuild the nation and reposition it on the path of sustainable economic growth and development.
Speaking on the theme of the retreat: “Going from Strength to Strength,” Makinde posited that the call for rebuilding the nation should reawaken the consciousness of every Nigerian of the exigency of having a prosperous and egalitarian country with strong and efficient institutions of governance.
He emphasised the power of consistent prayers, while urging Christians not to relent in praying for the leaders and restoration of the nation’s glory.
He said: “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 asked the Christians to pray for their leaders. As Christians, we can carry out the work that God has assigned to us effectively.
“Here in Nigeria, every four years, just like most democracies around the world, we come together as a nation to choose our leaders and I also listened to our Baba, National President of PFN, they said they have just finished the first half of their tenure. I am just hearing for the first time that there is no second term in PFN.
“Maybe, we need to learn one or two things from that arrangement for our nation. I am a supporter of a single term structure. As a matter of fact, I didn’t want second term and I told fathers of faith that look, four years not enough to do everything that you want to do, but it’s long enough to make your own impact and go your own way.
“But maybe, if we have the opportunity to discuss this, I think six years single term will really be enough for most of us to do whatever it is that we are supposed to do”, he stressed.
