The umbrella body of Pentecostal Christians in the South West, the
Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, has advised Governor Abiola
Ajimobi of Oyo State against turning the state into a theatre of war
through his plan to introduce Islamic Banking in the state.
National Vice President of PFN in the zone, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, spoke at the weekend in Ibadan.
Bishop Oke who is the presiding Bishop of the Sword of the Spirit
Ministries, advised the governor and Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao to
shelve the plan because it will have adverse effect.
But in a reaction to Vanguard’s enquiries on the matter, the governor
through his Senior Special Adviser on Public Communication, Dr Festus
Adedayo said; “We believe that the highly revered man of God was
misquoted as this allegation is not only untrue, it is spurious. In the
event that he was not, we ask that he cross-checks his facts very well
as there was never any such discussion between Governor Abiola Ajimobi
and anybody over such matter.”
PFN’s allegation
According to Bishop Oke; because of the volatile nature of the state,
it would be safer not to rupture the relative peace by leaving the
controversial banking system untouched.
He said in a statement, “My attention has been drawn to a news item
both in the print and electronic media on the ongoing move by the Oyo
State Government to partner with Saudi Arabia to establish Islamic
Banking in the state.
I am of the opinion that, within the few months that Governor Ajimobi
has been in office, he has demonstrated a firm and passionate resolve
to improve on the welfare of the masses and has come across as a just,
non-sectional leader who wants to be fair to both Christians and Muslims
alike.
“Likewise, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola–Alao is a man I know very well
as a decent and responsible leader, a fervent muslim and a man of
integrity. May I however state, that by dabbling into Islamic banking,
the duo are setting a bad precedence in the state which may ignite
unnecessary chaos.
“When it comes to religion, people don’t yield because it is a matter
of conviction. Moreover the Word of God says in Proverbs 22:7 “The rich
ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” In
this wise, if such a deal is struck, then the whole of Oyo State will
become a servant to Saudi Arabia/Islamic Development Bank.
Source: Vanguard Newspaper
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