Following a military action threat by US President Donald Trump, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Royal Majesty Rashidi Ladoja, has called on Nigerians to unite and fight extremism.
Oba Ladoja made the call while receiving the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, at the Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, over the weekend.
Ladoja, through in a statement issued by Adeola Oloko, his the media aide, noted that it has been over a decade, specifically, since the twilight of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2014, that Nigeria has been battling with the scourge of terrorism.
“Many people have been killed, and property worth an inestimable amount of money destroyed. Multitudes of families, particularly women and children, have been displaced.
“Kidnappings have taken place. Successive administrations have spent trillions to fight insecurity. When you look at this scenario over the past ten years, people are bound to feel aggrieved and resort to self-help.
“Former President Jonathan has tried. Former President Muhammadu Buhari has tried. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is trying. But I want to caution that terrorists don’t know the difference between Muslims and Christians. They see everybody as prey, while they are the predators.
“This is why, as the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, a constituent part of CAN, we are appealing to you to please help us to placate our Christian brethren who are understandably aggrieved that these times will pass,” the statement said.
According to Olubadan, in South-Western Nigeria, where he is more familiar, people from different religious backgrounds enjoy harmonious relationships, wondering why such a display of love is hard to come by in other parts of the country.
While stating that the majority of Nigerians want the scourge of terrorism to be fought to a standstill, the monarch said they are not excited about the prospect of United States involvement in the internal affairs of Nigeria, except through collaboration.
The PFN President congratulated Oba Ladoja on his emergence as the 44th Olubadan.
Oke prayed to God to give him wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to discharge his obligations as Olubadan to the satisfaction of God and humanity.
