FIRST female bishop in Africa and founder of Power Pentecostal Church, Bishop Bola Odeleke has called on President Goodluck Jona-than to leave an indelible mark in the political horizon by channeling all his efforts towards the allevia-tion of poverty in the country and let others after him to pursue the single tenure agenda, reports SAM EYOBOKA.

The bishop, awarded one of the 50 outstanding wom-en in the country during Ni-geria’s 50th independence anniversary, also called on the Federal Government to tread softly on the contro-versial Islamic Banking, arguing that constitutionally, Nigeria is a secular state and should not be seen to be promoting a sectional or religious endeavours to the detriment of other sections or religions.

Addressing newsmen in her church office at Okota in Lagos on preparations for the church’s 18th annual Power Convention scheduled for August 21-28, the bishop who was flanked by her Ejigbo branch pastor, Rev. Neye Enemigin and chairman of the convention committee, Pastor Biodun Olajide, gave a hint that the nation’s women may be forced to protest the imposi-tion of a non-interest bank with religious coloration.

According to her, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with non-interest banks, so long as it would alleviate endemic poverty in the society, but if that platform is laced with discriminatory religious coloration then it runs counter to the spirit and letter of the 1999 Constitu-tion. Reminded that the CBN governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the Sultan of Sokoto have vowed that Islamic Bank has come to stay irrespect-ive of current opposition, the woman of God appeal-ed to the authorities concer-ned to be weary of anything that can heat up the polity by giving consideration to the overall interest of the country.

On the convention with a theme; ‘I decide to conq-uer’, Bishop Odeleke said arrangements have been concluded to host eminent men of God including the founder of Revival Assemb-ly, Lagos, Apostle Anselm Madubuko and Prophet Samson Ayorinde who will be ministering during the conference. Highlights of the convention, she said,  will include an empowerm-ent programme for under-privileged women.