The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Tunde Bakare

  • How to halt escalating insecurity, build nationhood, by Bakare

    How to halt escalating insecurity, build nationhood, by Bakare

    Citadel Global Community Church pastor has urged the Federal Government to suspend all non-essential gatherings in vulnerable areas nationwide, and place them under emergency patrols.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Pastor Tunde Bakare made the call at a State of the Nation news conference, titled: “The Darkness before Dawn” held at the Citadel Global Community Church in Lagos yesterday.

    The pastor noted that while such measures might appear as militarisation of affected communities, they remained essential and temporary steps of neutralising terrorism in the country.

    “The suspension of mass gatherings and increased emergency patrols measures must be taken to prevent further mass kidnappings.”

    He lamented that terrorists have intensified their attacks on Nigerians from the moment the U.S President, Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over allegations of a government-tolerated killing of Christians.

    “In a space of one week, troops were ambushed and some killed, dozens of secondary school pupils abducted  in Kebbi, worshippers in  a church in Kwara attacked, kidnapped, some killed and hundreds of students from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri town, Niger kidnapped.

    “The level of insecurity seems to have worsened in response to the global focus on Nigeria as terrorists and bandits brazenly dared the Nigerian state.

    “While we rejoice at the release of some of the kidnapped victims, including the Kebbi schoolgirls and the Kwara church worshippers, as well as escape of some of the pupils kidnapped in Niger, the continued attacks on communities further underscore the need for fundamental interventions.

    “These interventions go to the very essence of our nationhood and the quality of governance in both domestic and foreign policy contexts.”

    Pastor Bakare noted that years of leadership failure to confront the nation’s underlying crises finally came to a head.

    “It is sad that it took the United States Congress—not the representatives elected by Nigerians (National Assembly) to convene a hearing on the experiences of citizens suffering under insecurity.”

    According to him, to position Nigeria strategically in the shifting global order, an integrated approach is required, one that would involve a critical review of our governance structure, security architecture and geo-economic strategy.

    “From convening the Save Nigeria Group to accepting the invitation to be running mate to the late president Muhammadu Buhari, to sponsoring the Nigerian Charter for National Reconciliation and Integration at the 2014 National Conference, I have been guided by a realisation.

    Read Also: Tinubu, First Lady, Shetimma, hail PFN at 40

    ”The best of the North and the best of the South must come together at the table of brotherhood to forge a strong and united Nigeria,” he said.

    Pastor Bakare said it is the failure of state institutions over the years that transformed a local revolt into a vicious terrorist movement and other unresolved grievances.

    “The state’s failure over decades, to address long-standing disputes between Hausa farmers and Fulani pastoralists allowed local tensions to mutate into a sophisticated and deeply entrenched network of terror.

    “Whether the violent attacks are motivated by land grab, ethnicity, religion or all of the above, the situation is the height of failure to guarantee security and welfare of the Nigerian people.”

    “The Nigerian state has a responsibility to invade camps of armed marauders who hide under the cloak of herdsmen of whatever ethnicity, and who invade defenceless communities and gleefully massacre unarmed men, women and children.

    ”From the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to the Eastern Security Network (ESN), to the so-called unknown gunmen, the reaction has ranged from a revolt against the Nigerian state to sheer criminality.

    “The trial and sentencing of Biafran separatist, Nnamdi Kanu, which took place at the same time that Donald Trump shifted the world’s attention to Nigeria, has tended to reopen old wounds.

    ”It is time for Nigeria to truly heal from the Civil War. It is time for the Nigerian state to take concessionary steps to ensure equity for the Southeast.

    According to Bakare, at the 2014 National Conference, the progressives were convinced that Nigeria does not need the creation of additional states.

    ”We strongly believed that what was needed was the consolidation of states into geopolitical zones, rather than the further balkanisation of non-viable states.

    “However, for the sake of trustful give-and-take, and in the spirit of equity, we, at the Committee for Political Structure and Forms of Government, aligned with our Committee Chairman, elder statesman, retired Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, and advocated an additional state for the Southeast.

    “Concessions such as these will lay the groundwork for genuine integration and inclusion in the Southsouth, which includes Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers states. Years of environmental degradation and resource control disputes led to militancy.”

    The pastor also reiterated the call for restructuring Nigeria to ensure cohesion and unity.

    “While we acknowledge  ongoing efforts of  President Bola Tinubu to swiftly  address the situation—from the declaration of emergency on security to mass recruitment into the police force—we urge him  to rise up to the occasion and restructure Nigeria.

    Bakare also suggested that the Federal Government should render an apology and compensation to victims of terrorism nationwide.

  • Buhari was fair to all, says Tunde Bakare

    Buhari was fair to all, says Tunde Bakare

    Founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has paid glowing tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a fair and honest leader who gave his all to Nigeria and treated everyone with dignity regardless of religion.

    He said Buhari would be remembered as a dedicated leader, from his youthful days in the military to years in government.

    Buhari died on Sunday afternoon at a clinic in London, United Kingdom, where he had been receiving medical attention.

    His death was confirmed in a statement by his former spokesman, Garba Shehu, on behalf of the family.

    Bakare in an interview on national television noted that contrary to perceptions of Buhari as an Islamic fundamentalist or religious bigot, the former President was just and accommodating to people of all faiths.

    “There was nothing you committed into his hands that you would not have peace of mind. Buhari was fair to every person, Muslim or Christian. He had many Christian friends and he would attend their functions,” Bakare said.

    The cleric added that Buhari was a man of his word who stood by his promises, yet his personal experience showed that he was often misunderstood.

    “I will miss a great leader, a great man, a man that would speak his word and stand by it. My God, it’s so easy to become a misunderstood man,” he said.

    Read Also: JUST IN: Pastor Tunde Bakare visits Tinubu in Lagos

    He recalled how their paths first crossed indirectly in 1984 when Buhari abolished the private practice decree, an action that enabled him to establish his law practice early in his career.

    According to him, this decision paved the way for young lawyers like himself to start private practice, a move he interpreted as divine intervention.

    He narrated that their political relationship formally began in 2007 after a meeting facilitated by Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, leading to his eventual selection as Buhari’s running mate in 2011. 

    He said during that meeting, he told Buhari that he would not win the 2007 election but encouraged him to keep trying, assuring him that he would eventually succeed.

    Bakare explained President Bola Tinubu played a crucial role in initiating talks with Buhari ahead of the 2011 election, although the proposed Muslim-Muslim ticket was eventually dropped.

    He said Tinubu had sent Lai Mohammed to him around 2010 to broker a meeting with Buhari on the possibility of running under the defunct Action Congress (AC) before it became the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    He also recounted how Buhari recognised him while he was leading a protest march in Abuja with Professor Wole Soyinka against the power vacuum created by the illness of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

    According to Bakare, Buhari noted his courage and leadership during the march, which later influenced his choice as running mate.

    He said Nigeria’s problems predated Buhari’s administration and continue to persist after him.

    “A tree does not make a forest. The problems of Nigeria have been there before they came in and they are still here after they have gone,” he said.

    He prayed for God to grant Nigeria leaders with the vision to steer the nation’s affairs effectively and curb excesses in governance.

    The cleric also remarked that Buhari had deep concerns about the civil service, often describing it as ‘evil service’ when officials packaged documents requiring his signature without due diligence.

    He said Buhari was always careful to cross-check and double-check such documents to avoid being misled into signing fraudulent approvals.

    Pastor Bakare observed that now that Buhari is gone, Nigerians would begin to appreciate his virtues and contributions more accurately, adding that history will remember him for good.

  • UPDATED: What I told President Tinubu, by Pastor Tunde Bakare

    UPDATED: What I told President Tinubu, by Pastor Tunde Bakare

    The founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare has explained why he visited President Bola Tinubu.

    Bakare explained that his conversation with the President focused on national development and the future of Nigeria. 

    He spoke after his courtesy visit to President Tinubu in Lagos, on Wednesday.

    The visit was revealed in a post by presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, who shared a photo of the President with the cleric on his X handle.

    Bakare had, during an address in April at his in Lagos, called on President Tinubu to implement immediate and strategic interventions to steer Nigeria out of its mounting crises. 

    Bakare after his visit to the President noted that he looked forward to a peaceful and united Nigeria, calling for collaboration across regions to move the country forward.

    He said: “Well, my visit to President Tinubu is about how the country will go well. My life, personal vision is to see a nation that works in my life time, and those things I’ve discussed with Mr. President. They are not hidden things, but I’ve learnt that when you discuss with the person-in-charge, you leave it with him to do whatsoever he wills with whatever you’ve suggested. 

    Read Also: My phone line cloned to malign Nigerian dignitaries, Natasha alleges

    “I’ve had a private conversation with Mr. President, and I’m glad that he received me well. I trust that God will help our Nation. 

    “What transpired in my discussion with him, stays with him and with me. God guiding him and giving him wisdom will help this nation not to go down the drain, but to bounce back so that he can live a mark that cannot be erased. 

    “I’d like to see a peaceful Nation, I’d like to see Nigerians be their brother’s keeper. I’d like to see good collaboration between the best of North and the best of the South, to steer Nigeria in the best direction. 

    “I’d like to see predictable progress in our nation. We’ve danced around some subjects for too long a time, it is time to take concrete action.”

  • JUST IN: Pastor Tunde Bakare visits Tinubu in Lagos

    JUST IN: Pastor Tunde Bakare visits Tinubu in Lagos

    The founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Wednesday, June 4, paid a courtesy visit to President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.

    The visit reportedly focused on critical national issues and the state of the nation.

    Bakare had, during an address in April at his in Lagos, called on President Tinubu to implement immediate and strategic interventions to steer Nigeria out of its mounting crises.

    Read Also: Pastor Tunde Bakare and the state of the nation

    He stressed the need for a “coordinated programme” to restore stability.

    Bakare was a former vice-presidential candidate to Muhammadu Buhari during the 2011 elections under the Congress for Progressive Change.

    In 2022, the fiery preacher obtained the N100 million presidential Expression of Interest and Nomination forms of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

    He, however, got zero votes at the party’s presidential primaries.

    President Bola Tinubu beat all the other aspirants to the ticket, polling 1,217 delegate votes.

  • Pastor Tunde Bakare and the state of the nation

    Pastor Tunde Bakare and the state of the nation

    Understandably, the nationally televised address by former presidential aspirant and head of the Global Community Citadel Church based in Lagos at Easter, has generated widespread and diverse reactions as his public interventions always do. Aiming severe blows at the President Bola Tinubu administration, the fiery critic contended that an urgent change of course in the government’s policies on security and the economy was imperative to avert a popular uprising in the country. In the light of renewed killings in states like Plateau, Benue, Zamfara, Adamawa and Borno, to cite a few, Bakare, rightly, warned that the country is being driven toward the brink. But inexplicably, he attributed the resurgent violence and insecurity to “the motor park brand of politics nurtured by the old brigade politicians and, in recent times, by President Bola Tinubu“.

    Pray, what exactly is this ‘motor park brand of politics’? The good cleric does not give a definition or description. He asserts but makes no attempt to demonstrate logically or empirically. If we knew what this motor park politics actually is, for instance, we would know how to relate it to newly rising cases of herders attacks on farming communities in the North Central, Boko Haram violence in Borno or Banditry in parts of the North-West. It is a largely unhelpful and unproductive criticism. Is the pastor saying that the Tinubu administration has folded its arms and done nothing whatsoever to tame insecurity that has persisted for nearly two decades and worsened steadily as the country’s economic fortunes continually declined? But the administration has scaled up budgetary funding of defense and security including procurement of new military equipment and enhanced use of science and technology to safeguard lives and property.

    And the result has been evident in the course of the first nearly two years of the administration with the rapid decline of extremist religious violence, banditry and the unleashing of bloody violence on farming communities by rampaging herdsmen who unconscionably feed planted and harvested crops to their cattle. So what is responsible for the recent deterioration in the security situation? Is it that the security forces have lost steam and let down their guard? Can this new escalation of destabilizing insecurity be at the instigation of desperate and disgruntled opposition politicians out to discredit the current government as the race towards the 2027’general elections intensifies? These are questions the administration must find answers to if it is to get to the root of the matter and provide effective and sustainable solutions.

    In one of his recommendations to address current national problems, Pastor Bakare advocated “restructuring security into local, state, and zonal forces” as well as “empowering a nonpartisan Directorate of National Intelligence’. Here, he strikes the nail on the head. It is overwhelmingly agreed that there must be urgent restructuring and decentralization of the security architecture to make it more effective, efficient and efficacious for a federal society. The nation faces an existential crisis and the prevailing security structure is obsolete and all too obviously not fit for purpose.

    Pastor Bakare forcefully condemns the declaration by President Tinubu of a State of Emergency in Rivers State. He sees it as unwarranted, unconstitutional and undemocratic. Unfortunately, he is not privy to the security reports which must have been key to the President’s decision on the matter. But even then, that at least two pipelines were blown up as earlier threatened by pro-governor Siminaliyi Fubara youth elements if impeachment proceedings were commenced against him, is in the public domain. And in an interview on national television last week, a key actor in the Rivers State crisis, the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, said that his preference, but for the state of emergency, was the outright removal from office of Fubara through impeachment.

    Read Also: Celebrating the power of music, IP in Nigeria

    That would surely have led to stiff resistance from Fubara ‘s supporters particularly given the ethnicization of the crisis with the real possibility of plunging a state so critical to the national economy down the path of anarchy. It is doubtful if Tinubu’s decisive and swift resort to emergency measures to check the downward spiral can still be credibly questioned against this background. It is also curious that, as a lawyer, Bakare appears to be quite at peace with the demolition of the premises of the State House of Assembly by the executive to thwart a suspected bid to impeach Fubara and the subsequent running of the state by the governor with four out of 32 members of the House. This followed the farcical invalidation of the seats of the 27 pro-Speaker Amaewhule members by the minority In four members for allegedly decamping to the APC. Being human, the radical pastor’s position on some issues is also so obviously influenced, perhaps subconsciously, by partisan inclinations.

    However, the imperative of statesmanship and the benefit of his vast political experience demands that President Tinubu utilize the authority and influence of his office to facilitate an enduring and speedy resolution of the Rivers crisis so that democratic normalcy can be speedily restored and there will be no need to extend the emergency. This will entail getting Wike in particular to toe the path of restraint, rectitude and wisdom given the triumph of his side in the absolutely avoidable power struggle.

    Its approval of the President ‘s emergency declaration in Rivers is one of the reasons for Bakare ‘s savage put down of the National Assembly as spineless, unprincipled and no better than a pliant and pliable rubber stamp of the executive arm of government. A combative, adversarial and confrontational legislature continually up in arms against the executive would apparently be more to the pastor’s liking and more in tune with his own radical and activist temperament and disposition. But the legislature has the institutional and democratic right to opt for the strategy of constructive engagement with the executive without recourse to rancorous but unproductive populism. After all, we can still recall how Bakare ‘s seemingly preferred adversarial style, adopted by the Dr Bukola Saraki-led 9th National Assembly, created paralysis in governance for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration with negative implications for national development.

    Interestingly, the same National Assembly, so scurrilous denounced by Bakare, in approving the declaration of the State of Emergency in Rivers, modified the Presidential proclamation by removing the supervisory authority over the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, from the purview of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to an ad hoc Committee of the House of Representatives. The 20-member Committee set up to supervise Ibas, headed by the Leader of the House, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, has had an interactive session with the Sole Administrator in Abuja and he has promised to furnish the legislators with a detailed report of his activities so far at the next scheduled meeting. This is not an irredeemably pro-executive legislature after all, despite its admitted  shortcomings like all human organizations not excluding Pastor Bakare ‘s Global Community Citadel Church.

    The pastor rightly highlights the current harsh existential conditions in the country with poverty levels rising higher as a result of the implementation of ongoing economic reforms such as removal of the fuel subsidy and merger of the previous parallel foreign exchange markets to eliminate opportunities for corruption -laden arbitrage. He is intellectually honest enough to state that much of the economic problems were inherited as well as being systemic while also acknowledging some of the gains of the reforms. However, in parts of his address, he seems to insinuate that there are viable alternatives to these reforms but does not concretely specify what these are.

    The relatively detailed policy alternatives he outlines appear to me to be sophisticated and fashionably attractive repackaging of some of the measures already being implemented in pursuit of the reform agenda. However, he makes the pertinent point that corruption is still prevalent and that humongous amounts of corruptly acquired resources still lie in private hands. Bakare ‘s suggestions as regards retrieving such stolen resources and utilizing them for national developmental purposes, which in my view is an urgent imperative, appear not only lacking in concreteness but are idealistic and romantic. But for his quite inexplicable and frankly unfruitful diversionary forays into partisan politics, Bakare ‘s often clinical, passionate and patriotic interventions in public course would have been significantly more impactful. Thus, it was so easy for instance, for the relentless Reno Omokri to attribute his fiery denunciation of the Tinubu administration as arising from bitterness engendered by Bakare ‘s loss to the President in the APC presidential primaries.

  • Tunde Bakare: Letter from the Valley of Restraint

    Tunde Bakare: Letter from the Valley of Restraint

    • By Anietie John Ukpe

    My dear Pastor Tunde Bakare,

    It is with a heavy, yet hopeful heart that I respond to your recent public address, in which you offered spirited—albeit surprising—support for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili’s confrontation with the Nigerian Senate. I write not as an adversary of conscience, but as a fellow pastor and sojourner in the quest for truth. I do not write to tear down, but to build clarity where emotion has cast shadows and sentiment has clouded judgment.

    You are—and remain—a man of considerable spiritual and intellectual stature in our land. Like many, I have been stirred by your voice in seasons past, when courage and conviction met in your pulpit. But I must confess that my heart sank—not in anger, but in sorrow—when I heard that same voice not summon us to a higher ground of wisdom and justice (as we are used to), but join the multitude in the clamour of populist performance and convenient outrage.

    Perhaps you were misled into standing in defence of disorder and, thereby, named it courage. This position upheld a defiance of parliamentary rules and cloaked it in the garments of moral protest. But, Pastor, can we truly build a righteous nation upon the ashes of anarchy?

    The senator in question, by all available accounts, did not act within the parameters of established order. She refused to take her assigned seat—a fundamental rule of parliamentary decorum observed across the world—and insisted on speaking from a position that violated the rules of the senate. While defiance may draw applause in the theatre of media spectacle, it does not pass the test of democratic discipline. Even the prophets of old, though filled with holy fire, did not desecrate the sanctuaries in which they spoke.

    Permit me to offer a simple analogy. If your choir leader were to sit in your associate pastor’s seat during a service, would you praise him for bravery? And if you instructed him to return to his designated seat, would that amount to silencing him? Surely not. We, who have taught order in God’s house, must recognize the peril in celebrating disorder in the nation’s highest chamber of law-making.

    Read Also: Wike hails Okowa, Delta Governor over defection to APC

    We are told in Scripture to “let all things be done decently and in order”—and the senate, with its flaws, is not exempt from this divine injunction. You, Pastor Bakare, who have eloquently and inspiringly taught order in the house of God, surely understand the risk of having chaos in the house of law.

    As for Dr. Ezekwesili—her credentials are not in question, nor is her global standing. But righteousness is not measured by résumé, and respect is not earned by prestige. In any chamber of deliberation, humility is the passport—not history. When she shouted “shut up” at a senator who had the floor and called him a “hooligan,” she did not speak with the voice of principle, but with the tone of provocation. She sowed insult and, unfortunately, reaped resistance, for Scripture teaches us that what a person sows, they shall also reap.

    Dear Pastor, you cited Proverbs—and rightly so. But let us not quote selectively. Proverbs 26:5, which urges us to answer a fool lest he be wise in his own eyes, must be held in tension with verse 4, which warns us not to descend into folly by responding in kind. Senator Peter Nwaebonyi applied the former. To cast him as the aggressor and Ezekwesili as the victim does not fit with what happened.

    Pastor, it is important to clarify what you may have overlooked. Senator Natasha, in her pre-hearing media rounds, publicly claimed that she could raise Order Ten from anywhere on the senate floor—a statement that reveals either crass ignorance or disregard for the rules that govern legislative proceedings. That such a fundamental misunderstanding could be hailed as courage by Nigerians is troubling. The rule is simple and clear: a senator must raise any order, including Order Ten, from their assigned seat. Order is not optional; it is essential.

    Her confusion did not end there. Her initial sexual harassment petition was submitted with her signature (whereas a senator should not sign any petition according to their rules) and bore no address—an omission that rendered it procedurally invalid. That was not the fault of the senate. And when she corrected the errors and resubmitted the petition, it was accepted and referred to the appropriate committee. Due process was not denied; it was followed. And yet, the narrative woven in public has been one of persecution rather than procedure.

    Pastor, you also described the National Assembly as “captured” and “spineless” because it is not perpetually at war with the executive. But I ask: is strength only proven through strife? Is independence measured by defiance? The current senate refused to confirm several ministerial nominees—an unprecedented act in our democratic history. They have not bowed; they have not broken. Their resistance is not theatrical—it is thoughtful. It is not sensational—it is substantive.

    I note your repeated forays into presidential politics. That in itself is not wrong; as a matter of fact it is commendable. I would gladly have voted for you then. But if the call of politics now weighs more heavily than the call of the pulpit, then I say this with all due respect: contest for the Senate. Enter the arena you now critique. Bring your voice, your values, and your vision into the chamber. Let your convictions be tested by rules. But guess what, even you must submit to its order once inside. The theatre of politics is different from the sanctuary—it demands not only conviction, but coordination; not only courage, but compromise; not only protest, but process.

    In defending Senator Natasha and Ezekwesili, you inadvertently implied that outrage should override order. This I attribute to the information at your disposal and I do not hold it against you. But I, like Dr. King, must remind us all that constructive tension must be tethered to moral discipline. And in a democracy, that discipline is the rule of law. To subvert it in the name of righteousness is to mock the very justice we seek.

    When we reduce the Church to a stage for political indignation, we rob it of its sacred identity as a house of prayer for all nations. When criticism becomes necessary—as it often does—we must be just in its application: blame where blame is due, and praise where it is deserved. Let the Sanctuary not become a refuge for what the Scriptures rebuke. Let it not dignify confusion with holiness, nor dress pride in priestly robes. Let it not give sanctuary to disorder, nor lend its voice to the music of insult. What God condemns, let not the altar commend.

    I do not write this to silence you, sir. I write because I still believe in the nobility of your calling. I still have great respect for your ministry. But those who come to you crying for justice must themselves be just. Those who demand truth must themselves be truthful. And those who lead must model the order they expect others to obey.

    May our disagreements remain civil. May our discourse be seasoned with grace. And may our democracy grow stronger through shared discipline and mutual respect. May you increase in grace in your ministry.

    •Ukpe, PhD is a journalist and pastor.

  • Bakare tackles Tinubu on governance

    Bakare tackles Tinubu on governance

    Founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare yesterday criticised the leadership style of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    Bakare’s criticism was contained in a state of the nation address read to his congregation in the church auditorium  in Lagos.

    Bakare, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant,  faulted the relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of government, saying that President Tinubu should “stop playing God”.

    Warning that the country is going in the wrong direction, Bakare said: “To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under whose brand of politics the institution of legislative oversight is collapsing and our democracy is faced with an existential threat, I say: Mr. President, Nigeria is too delicate for this kind of politics.

    “If this state capture was what you meant by ‘Emi lo kan,’ it is an anti-climax that can only be counter-productive in the end. I urge you, Mr. President, to think deeply and reflect on these words: ‘No man is wise enough nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power.’”

    Read Also: Easter: Don’t betray Nigeria like Judas lscariot – CAN to publc office holders

    He also carpeted National Assembly, which according to him, has become a “haven for legislative rascality.”

    Recalling the approval of the emergency rule in Rivers State by the Senate, and the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Kogi Central District, Bakare said the country’s legislative arm is now “an extension of the executive, grossly violating the principles of separation of powers.

    He added: “This National Assembly, the 10th, has by its unconstitutional endorsement of the president’s powers, proven to be the most spineless in our recent history. “Through its actions and inactions, the National Assembly has, in effect, become the 48th member of the president’s cabinet”

    While a cabinet minister has, more or less, become a third-term  governor in Rivers State, pampered by the indulgences of the president.”

  • Presidency reacts to Pastor Bakare’s ‘motor park politics’ comment

    Presidency reacts to Pastor Bakare’s ‘motor park politics’ comment

    …affirms Tinubu’s commitment to Nigerians

    The Presidency has responded to comments made by the Founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, during his Easter Sunday sermon, in which he criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership style, describing it as akin to “motor park politics.”

    Reacting to the comment, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, acknowledged the clergyman’s right to express his views, noting that while the Presidency holds differing views on some of his positions, it appreciates the overall tone and constructive intent of Bakare’s message.

    In a post shared on his verified X handle, @BwalaDaniel, the presidential aide said: “Pastor Tunde Bakare’s sermon and speech delivered this morning in form of a message to @officialABAT is quite objective. 

    “He gave his general opinion on events and decisions of government; he critiqued certain polities and applauded some; he further offered his suggestions on the way forward”, he said.

    The comment came amid public reactions to Bakare’s pointed sermon, in which he warned against what he called the nurturing of a “motor park brand of politics”.

    Read Also: Five visa-free countries for Nigerian passport holders

    While he did not spare the Tinubu administration from criticism, Bakare also acknowledged areas of progress under the current leadership.

    Bwala underscored this balanced view, stating that the pastor “acknowledged the successes and strides of the President and his administration.”

    He continued: “Although we differ with him in some areas and positions, we respect his right to say his mind, and assure him, as with many Nigerians, that President Tinubu is determined to deliver on the promise to the Nigerian people.”

    Pastor Bakare, a former presidential aspirant and a long-time critic and occasional ally of President Tinubu, has been known for his forthright commentaries on national issues. 

    His Easter message struck a familiar tone, critical yet couched in calls for improvement and patriotism.

  • Pastor Tunde Bakare is 70 years old

    Pastor Tunde Bakare is 70 years old

    The activist and indefatigable man of God and tribune of the Nigerian people Dr Tunde Bakare of the Citadel Global Church is 70. I was glad to have attended the one in a life worship and book presentation of his autobiography on Monday, November 11 followed immediately by a reception in the hall of the church attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation representing the president, serving and former governors, ministers, traditional rulers from the southern and northern Nigeria including emir Muhammad Sanusi, the Emir of Kano.

    I wrote with much interest, the foreword to Bakare’s autobiography titled “Definitely Not The Least”. The title indicates the fact that Tunde Bakare was the last child of his father, Sanni Bakare, a devout Muslim descended from the grand Imam of Abeokuta, Abdul Sidiq Bakare. In fact the Bakares were the first Muslims in Abeokuta, a town founded circa 1830 after the revolution and mass movement of the Oyo Yoruba into the Egba forests. This was after Fulani incursion into northern Oyo Empire and the Oyo’s consequent southward movement and pressure on their vassals, the Egba and Yewa people in present day Ogun State.

    The story of Tunde Bakare began in Abeokuta, a unique city for many reasons in Nigeria. This was the last independent city in Nigeria before its independence was abrogated in August 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War. Because of the unique history of Abeokuta, the town witnessed the first attempt at Christian evangelisation and its consequent cultural impact of western education on the town. This followed preceding Islamic cultural influence as a result of the considerable number of Muslims in the town. These two foreign cultures were imposed on the strong African tradition of the Egba people which many of them still held to, despite the two exotic religions of Christianity and Islam. Tunde Bakare is a product of the intermixture of the three religious tendencies prevalent in Abeokuta, then and now.

    This autobiography is the story of a boy born into a large Muslim family who fate dealt a terrible blow when at only two years old, his relatively affluent father died leaving him and his mother Eebudola to fend for themselves. The book is a tale of struggle by his mother, who through iron discipline, tried to shape the destiny of her son the way she knew how while the son tried to find freedom as a growing child in what he considered a cruel world of poverty and deprivation. He did what was possible to get educated, selling water, fetching wood to sell and helping his mother to sell whatever stuff she was selling to make ends meet. It was this harsh beginning of being alone in a wicked world that shaped the early life and times of Tunde Bakare. He struggled through primary and secondary schools changing from one school to another, leaving school for some time because of poverty only to continue again thus finding himself in embarrassing position of being behind classmates who were not as good as he was. This kind of humiliation at a young age strengthened his resolve to get on in life by dint of hard work and determination. He was also somehow lucky by the rather cosmopolitan nature of Abeokuta where he could see at a glance, what he found attractive in Islam, Christianity and Western education. Early in life, he wanted to convert to Christianity but was discouraged by the reaction of his mother and his relatives.  But he had seen himself becoming a Christian so that when he took the plunge and transition from Islam to Christianity later in life after moving to Lagos, he faced the harsh consequences which came with it because members of his family were not prepared to see a scion of a Muslim family brought up on the Holy Koran jump ship just like that. This denouement was not to take place until after he had had to move from his roots at Abeokuta to Lagos to improve on his rather pedestrian performance in his West African School Certificate examination. Having passed his examination eventually, he began to aim higher by getting a job and asking God to bless the labour of his hands through doing odd jobs like washing and ironing clothes, first for his teachers, and later for those who needed his services and enrolling in evening adult classes for Advanced level examination that would qualify him for university admission.

    Read Also: EFCC arrests 11 suspected currency racketeers in Rivers

    It was not until I read this manuscript before writing a foreword to it that I discovered a strange coincidence. He had a serious accident which led him to having to stitch his lower or upper lips and the lady who took him to hospital was a certain Mrs Agbelemoge who happens to be my cousin. Her father and my mother are cousins. It was around the same time that I met Tunde Bakare as one of his teachers who coached him for his Advanced level examination in History and government in the University of Ibadan extramural studies centre in Saint Jude’s Ebute Metta, I believe in 1977. If I am like Tunde Bakare, I will see the divine hands of God in our meeting and my taking keen interest and a liking to a student who I would describe as a precocious young man. It was through my intervention that Tunde entered the University of Lagos. Every step Tunde Bakare took in life has been preceded either by a vision, dream or hearing from God.

    He started his Christian journey in the University of Lagos and since laying his hands on the plough, he has never looked back. He used his training as a lawyer to serve humanity thus bringing his profession to bear on his Christian belief. His most difficult convert was his mother, Eebudola Asabi Bakare who he had previously sponsored to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina but who he converted to Christianity, the religion which she embraced with fervour of somebody born into it. This was very important to Tunde to whom his mother was very special as a person who believed in him and saw a vision of his son’s success as not only a religious leader but a secular one well before anyone else. Tunde Bakare cut his pastoral journey through tutelage under the  giant leaders  of Nigeria’s Pentecostal movement namely, Dr  Samuel Odunaike of the Foursquare Church, Dr  W.F Kumuyi  of the Deeper Life Church and Pastor Adejare Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God who leads the largest Pentecostal church in Nigeria.

    Along the way, he interacted with Pastor David Oyedepo of Winners Church and Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) – his contemporaries. He had his reasons for finding his independent path from the foremost leaders under whom he had served and associated with. He however found more rewarding his association with two American Pentecostal pastors Dr Morris Cerullo and Dr Lester Sumrall and particularly Dr Sumrall. Sumrall was an American Pentecostal pastor, evangelist, teacher, and missionary. He founded the Lester Sumrall Evangelistic Association and World Global College in his native New Orleans Louisiana. Sumrall was less well known than Cerullo in Africa and of course in Nigeria but Bakare claims he owes most of his spiritual development to him. Bakare’s Church, The Latter Rain Assembly and later on The Citadel, its successor were found  very attractive by the young people apparently because  of his youth and spiritual leading.

    Bakare was ineluctably led by divine inspiration into secular activism which is not strange for a young man who saw Christianity as not just a belief system but a way of life. Pastor Bakare could not restrict himself to preaching alone or embarking on crusades against demonic and evil forces in our society while the mass of humanity suffered a lot. He sees himself as a “messenger” of God to suffering humanity if not in the world at least in Nigeria and Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe) where do nothing governments sat on the necks of their people for very long time. This led him to organising pressure groups and leading demonstrations on the street in Lagos and Abuja against constitutional breaches and against prices of fuel and other commodities.  This soon brought him into clashes with people in authority and great admiration of the people who saw him as a tribune of the people and an electoral asset to people in power or in opposition.

    This was the situation which brought him into running with Major General Muhammadu Buhari against an incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan who was largely supported by the Christian community in 2011. This decision was taken by Tunde Bakare under divine guidance according to him and not for the love for filthy lucre, glory or fame but in the public interest. When he and his principal lost the election which he considered rigged, he never gave up and was able to persuade Buhari to run again in 2015 but not with him as running mate. Buhari subsequently won the 2015 election with generous support of Bakare. Buhari offered him several positions including High Commissioner to the Court of Saint James’s in London which he declined. The lack of performance for eight years by Muhammadu Buhari must have influenced him to accept the challenge and gauntlet to try to be president himself in the election of 2023 where he was faced with the African reality that leadership is mostly bought not earned.

    It remains to be said that when the history of this times is written, the name of Pastor Bakare’s remarkable story of a man who rose from poverty and deprivation to aspiring for the highest position in the land would be one of those to be included among the makers of modern Nigeria. Reading his excellent autobiography and the command of English by the author has been a labour of love and enjoyment. The story of Tunde Bakare is a testament to the love of God and his wife, Layide and the beautiful children she gave Tunde. The book is also a promenade into the intricacy and complexity of recent politics of Nigeria and the mortal dangers faced by an activist like Bakare who of course overcame fear because in all he did he had faith that God was leading him. This book deserves to be read by the critical mass of the Nigerian society.

  • Tunde Bakare: Activist cleric, politician at 70

    Tunde Bakare: Activist cleric, politician at 70

    By Dr. Segun Oshinaga

    PTB, as those of us who firmly believe in his national assignment call Pastor Tunde Bakare, is a paragon of public morality. His involvement in politics since General Muhammadu Buhari nominated him as his Vice- Presidential candidate is a study in how a believer can and should practice ‘contact without contamination, which he preaches and practices. His legendary feat as a strict and biblically accurate pastor and teacher is well known. His no-nonsense intolerance for any form or shape of extra biblical practice in the Church has caused very serious public fight within the Body of Christ, for which he is unapologetic.

    Most Christians who got involved in politics get lost to the filth of corruption. PTB was the ONLY believer who participated in the 2023 presidential election who didn’t give any delegate a dime. There were other believers who paid bribes of several billions to delegates and still lost. His contribution to Christian values in Nigerian politics is unparalleled.

    Let me lay out a few specific examples:

    In 1991 or 1992, somebody sent a green Mercedes Benz 300 or 500 (popularly called Shagari Model in those days) as a gift to him at the then Latter Rain Assembly, Akilo Street, Ikeja. I visited him one day and saw the car covered where it was parked. When I asked why he was not using it, his response was this: ‘I need to meet the person who sent it and ask him where he got the money from.’ The sender got angry and said it wasn’t his business where he got his money. PTB had the car returned. Later, the man was caught carrying drugs.

    Read Also: Enough is enough

    2. When his wife, the one we fondly called Mrs. B, turned 50, 14 years ago, the Governor of Ogun State who has been his friend since secondary school days donated some money at the birthday party at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos. PTB asked him publicly if the money was from his personal account or public purse. It was only accepted when the Governor announced that it was his personal money.

    When Citadel’s construction stated, PTB’s friend, President Muhammadu Buhari, donated N5M. PTB asked him if the money was from his pocket or taken from the public purse. Buhari was not amused. He promptly replied: ‘Pastor, I can personally afford this.’ PTB made the contribution public in Church along with their banters.

    When PTB turned 60 years in 2014, somebody in the Villa sent him a brand new 2015 Rolls Royce. He asked those who brought it: ‘Is this a gift any Nigerian who clocks 60 gets? They said no. ‘How do I justify such gift from the government?’ They took back their gift

    Just before the 2015 elections, a bag with $850,000 dollars cash was hauled into his presidential Suite at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja. This was when all kinds of people, including religious leaders, Christians and Muslims; traditional rulers across the nation were receiving such dollar gifts. He turned it down.

    During the 2023 primaries of the APC, there was dollar rain before, during and after the exercise at the Eagle Square. Men were bought like fowls and goats in the market. Only PTB didn’t bribe any delegate or trade his candidature. Others, including those that were notable believers paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to buy delegates. Some who traded their candidature and publicly announced they were stepping down were alleged to have received as much as $2M dollars each.

    PTB stood up on that platform and announced he was not stepping down but stepping up.

    It’s normal in our clime to use proximity to power for personal profit. Nothing particularly wrong if done properly. Till the day President Muhammadu Buhari left office, he lamented that PTB has not personally benefited from any government deal or largesse. About two years before the expiration of his presidency, the President attempted to give his friend a gift. PTB had just arrived Abuja. He came from Lagos with his lawyer, Tope Adebayo. Only the three of us were there that day. Not long afterwards, his phone rang. It was from Tunde Sabiu, the President’s nephew and Personal Assistant. He said the President had something for PTB. PTB sent his lawyer. Tope came back with an envelope. It was an offer of an oil block. Many would have jumped at it calling it divine supply. PTB went back to see his friend, the President to thank him for the offer. And then, he told him: ‘Thank you Mr. President but I cannot accept this gift. It will spoil my brand. Oil block is a national treasure and if I get it just because I’m the President’s friend, then it becomes morally indefensible. Thanks but no thanks.’

    PTB has demonstrated beyond measure that he is a man of conviction of steel. There are more than two dozen incidents like this but each time, he overcame; seeing them as test of his character and his readiness to be a leader without greed and covetousness.

    Not a few people have wondered why he combines his pastoral calling with political activism. To some, these roles are mutually exclusive. In holding this view, the assumption is that pastoral work is a holy calling while politics is a vocation for sinners.

    Truth be told, PTB is not a politician in the conventional traditional sense. PTB is a nation builder who is deploying the tool of politics as a means to achieve an end; an end which includes the liberation from hunger, provision of infrastructure, and security of life and property.

    The bane of politics in Nigeria is selfishness and greed. Politics is often a racket, not different from gangsterism with money making as sole objective. What we have presently in Nigeria are merchants pretending to be leaders. We have raiders holding political offices throughout the length and breadth of the Nigeria landscape. To the contrary, PTB is not driven by the mundane or compulsive material acquisition at public expense. Rather, PTB is driven by the vision of how better Nigeria can become. And this is what informs his common mantra ‘Nigeria will work in my life time.’

    PTB’s patriotism didn’t start with the Save Nigeria Group; although SNG became a veritable and potent vehicle for concrete visible action. Since the early 90s, PTB has been a watchman for the Nigerian nation, preaching, prophesying, praying and rallying many towards the Nigerian cause. He is a man uniquely burdened for Nigeria. Hardly can he finish a message without a mention of the rot in the land and proffering solutions. The truth is that PTB is not your ordinary do-gooder, political activist or politician. The uniqueness of his intervention is that he is acutely aware of his sense of destiny in being an active participant in making Nigeria a nation that will be blessed to become the envy of other nations.

    Perhaps, I need to share how I came about this conviction. The year was 1991 and the venue was the church office at The Latter Rain Assembly. PTB has always been a gracious host. He offered me lunch that was delivered from ‘Pintos’ on Allen Avenue after which he saw me off to my car. Just as he turned back to return to the office, the Lord opened my eyes and mind to have a glimpse into the future. By the way, this is a gift that the Lord gives me occasionally. In this state, I saw PTB helping to fix a broken down nation. I called him back and told him what I saw. Of course, he was amazed. He turned and walked into his office. I am persuaded that we are entering that season.

    One distinguishing feature of leadership is selflessness. Unfortunately, this is oftentimes lacking within the political class. This virtue marks PTB out. When he was nominated to the 2014 national conference, he served the nation at his own expense. He was one of the few who refused the fat cheques that the government offered. Virtually all politicians are driven by ambition of ‘I want to be this or that.’ What drives GBB (Gbolahan Babatunde Bakare) as his precious wife, Mrs. B. (Layide Bakare) fondly calls him, is not ambition; not at all. Individuals driven by ambition are often slaves to their vanities and egos.

    I completely, unequivocally and intentionally trust that God will perfect all He has put in His servant’s heart for our dear and great nation. Hear PTB shout this daily – Nigeria shall be SAVED. Nigeria shall be CHANGED. Nigeria shall be GREAT.

    May his prophecy for our nation come true in our lifetime and may we all be partakers of Nigeria’s great and illustrious future.

     • Oshinaga is the President of Inspirational Global Network and long term close confidant of Pastor Tunde Bakare