Pastor Tunde Bakare, Senior Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter Rain Church, stated yesterday that he is not opposed to the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy, but rather to the corruption in the system.
While acknowledging that the withdrawal of fuel subsidies was negatively impacting Nigerians, Bakare asked President Bola Tinubu to kill corruption rather than Nigerians.
Tinubu was also exhorted by the fiery televangelist to “mount a genuine fight against corruption, rise above vendetta, foster reconciliation, and give every Nigerian a reason to believe in a united country.”
The preacher also criticized ECOWAS’s proposed military involvement in the Niger Republic at his State of the Nation address, which was given at the church auditorium on Kuditat Abiola Way, Ikeja, Lagos, with the subject “Vice, virtue, and time: The three things that shall never stand still.”
“What is further clear concerning our domestic challenges is that by imposing hardship on Nigerians without going after those corrupt individuals, corporations, and government officials who have plundered Nigeria over the years in the name of subsidy, the president has picked the wrong fight,” he said of the country’s harsh economy.
‘’In his Monday, July 31, 2023, address to the nation, the president stated that the vast sum of money which ‘would have been better spent on public transportation, healthcare, schools, housing and even national security…was being funnelled into the deep pockets and lavish bank accounts of a select group of individuals.
“The president further stated that the subsidy removal policy was to stop the squandering of monies on smugglers and fraudsters.
“This compels us to ask the following salient questions: Who are these select groups of individuals into whose deep pockets our national treasury has been funnelled?
‘’Who are these smugglers and fraudsters that have been defrauding our nation in the name of subsidy?
“Who are these nameless characters that have fed fat at the expense of the poor? Or are they all sacred cows?
‘’Mr President, if you are truly on the side of the poor, if you are serious about the welfare of the people, if you truly want the poor to breathe, as you once said, then kill corruption, not Nigerians.
“Fellow citizens, the rallying cry by which the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, galvanised Nigerians in January 2012 at Gani Fawehinmi Pack, Ojota was ‘kill corruption, not Nigerians’
This was our cry when we made it evident that our fight was not against the removal of fuel subsidy but the corruption in the system. This was our fight when, amid the threats to my life and family, right there at Ojota and live on national and international television, I called out by name those individuals and corporate entities who had allegedly ravaged our nation.
“Mr President, given the complexity of the Nigerian economy, we are not thoroughly convinced that your palliatives will be sufficient to cushion the effect of your policies on the Nigerian citizen.
‘’What we do know, however, is that on May 29, 2023, you swore an oath to ‘be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
On the coup in Niger Republic, Bakare kicked against the proposal by ECOWAS for military intervention, describing it as counter-intuitive.
He said: “It is, therefore, counter-intuitive to engage in what could be a protracted conflict. This much the Tinubu-led ECOWAS ought to have learnt from the aftermath of America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
”While we deplore the recent wave of coups in West Africa, we recognize that the situation necessitates significant introspection on the part of African leaders and emphasizes the need of effective governance.
”The call on Nigeria at this time is to command alignment via exemplary governance rather than to coerce acquiescence in the subregion through use of might. The fundamental question is whether President Tinubu is capable of offering such moral leadership even at home.
“The president also stated that the subsidy removal policy was implemented to prevent funds from being wasted on smugglers and fraudsters.”
“Mr President, while we acknowledge that our nation has transitioned from an administration that came to power on the ostensible wings of integrity and anti-corruption to one that cannot be described as such, the fact remains that you are today the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with enormous powers to combat corruption in all its hydra-headed forms.”
“Even if the allegations against you are true, you can have a road to Damascus experience and decide today to stand on the side of integrity and bring to justice the vested interests who have amassed wealth on the ruins of our nation.”
”You can decide today to shift the weight of change away from the Nigerian people and pursue the businesses and individuals who have pillaged our country. You can choose today to stand with the poor and oppose the plunderers.
”Mr. President, while you have announced some palliatives, let me remind you that they cannot address the underlying source of the problem.
“As a result, we demand that you address the underlying cause of the problem.” Remove the yoke from the poor’s neck, go after the thieves, reclaim the loot, and retool it for the benefit of Nigerians. To put it simply, Mr. President, kill corruption, not Nigerians.
“At this point, some may wonder: Who exactly are these plunderers who have been able to launder our collective patrimony over the years thanks to a dubious subsidy regime?” How much can we salvage from them?
”My fellow compatriots, fasten your seat belts as I transport you to certain frightening events in our country’s recent past; occurrences that have left us with unanswered questions.”
Emefiele, Bawa’s detention, vendetta
Bakare, who took a swipe at the continued detention of the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, FCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, described it as a clampdown on perceived political adversaries.
His words: “Recently, the actions of the DSS have raised concerns about professionalism and adherence to the rule of law. Instances such as the reported invasion of the premises of the EFCC and the handling of the case of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, have sparked discussions regarding the need for due process and equitable application of justice.
‘’Considering the reported claims by the DSS that its actions were in line with ‘an order from above,’ the handling of the Emefiele case has sent a signal to the world that the current president’s disposition to the war against corruption is primarily motivated by a clampdown on perceived political adversaries, while various other enemies of Nigeria remain untouched.
”Mr. Godwin Emefiele may have made poor decisions in managing Nigeria’s monetary policy, but he should not be blamed. According to the rules of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, the former Central Bank Governor may not have acted without presidential authorization. If Emefiele is proved to be guilty of any crime, he should be prosecuted.
“However, considering the dynamics of the pre-election environment, and the then-candidate Bola Tinubu’s public allegation that the naira-redesign policy was targeted at him, the optic of the president targeting Emefiele for prosecution after winning the election and being sworn in as president could be interpreted as a form of vendetta far beneath such a distinguished office.
“The same can be said of the detention of the suspended chairman of EFCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa. Mr Bawa was not only linked to the naira redesign policy, but he had also disclosed that the anti-graft agency would arrest and prosecute some outgoing governors after the expiration of their immunity on May 29, 2023.
“Once again, if Bawa is indicted in any criminal investigation, then the lawful thing to do is to prosecute him. To continue to hold him in detention, in these circumstances, raises significant concerns about the readiness of the Tinubu administration to fight corruption.
‘’This undemocratic disposition questions the pro-democracy antecedents of the president and indicates the consolidation of authoritarian tendencies.
“It is rather preposterous that the DSS has reduced itself to a pack of Napoleon’s dogs let loose on perceived opponents of the president when, in this same country, a militant like Asari Dokubo is openly breeding an armed militia in open support of the president, doing so with impunity and without as much as a slap on the wrist from the security agencies.
“Our security agencies cannot look the other way in the face of the brazen violation of the constitution by non-state actors who declare allegiance to the president while being ever poised to clamp down on the rights of the perceived opponents of the powers that be.
“Let me remind those who constitutionally hold a monopoly on the use of force that they do so on behalf of the Nigerian people and not as agents of those in power. This reminder is especially pertinent as Nigerians become increasingly agitated due to the hardships imposed on them by the government.
“As citizen-led movements spring up in Nigeria, the democratic quotient of those in power will be tested. Such officeholders must remember the warning we sounded in December 2011, a few weeks before the protest in Ojota.
‘’ Let those relying on their ill-equipped, underpaid, and underfed police officers and political thugs remember the words of President J. F. Kennedy: ‘A society that cannot help the many who are poor, cannot save the few that are rich.’
“Undeniably, the state of our nation calls for courage. However, as the story of Rehoboam, the fourth king of Israel, teaches us, the kind of courage that adopts anti-people policies and oppresses the weak will only yield divisive outcomes.
‘’Therefore, Mr President, use your courage to lessen the burdens of our citizens and not to further oppress them. Use your courage to unite the nation and not to further divide us.”
Bakare charged the president with using his bravery to confront old concerns rather than deepening scars. Do justice, combat corruption honestly, rise above vendetta, nurture peace, and offer every Nigerian – in the East, West, North, and South — a cause to trust in a unified Nigeria.”
Nigerians are fed up with the APC.
Pator Bakare said the outcome of the 2023 general elections showed that Nigerians were tired of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and advised the party to reconsider its basis if it wanted to survive politically.
“At this point, I must also issue a warning to the ruling party, the APC,” he stated. I was present when the APC was created, and the degree of my role is widely recorded. As a shareholder and, more significantly, as a nation-builder, I am required to express unequivocally that this is not the APC we envisioned.
“The results of the last elections were a clear indication that Nigerians are fed up with what the APC has become.”
According to INEC figures, the APC received 15.4 million votes in the presidential elections in 2015 and 15.2 million votes in 2019, but by the 2023 elections, the APC’s support base had decreased substantially to 8.8 million, representing a loss of nearly half of the traditional support base. ”Without the fractures within the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and the development of the Labour Party’s Obidient movement, which fragmented the PDP’s traditional support base, the APC would have convincingly lost the 2023 elections.
“Even now, the party’s victory as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is being challenged in court. When I consider the vision and founding spirit that birthed the APC, I cannot but conclude that the APC is losing the plot.
‘’The APC was established as a progressive party with clear motivations to establish true nationhood, eliminate corruption, oversee governance structure reforms, eradicate poverty, and facilitate economic growth.
‘’However, like its predecessor, the PDP, the APC has now become a platform for politicians who have neither conviction nor ideology and who hop from party to party seeking power at all costs. The suffering meted out to the Nigerian people as a result of anti-people policies are not what the APC once stood for.
“The APC stood for progressivism. Progressivism is characterised by substantial public investments in social sectors such as education and healthcare, and it achieves inclusiveness and social mobility by deploying political power to provide a minimum standard of living for citizens; progressivism prioritises equity, justice and inclusiveness in access to opportunities. ‘’While it facilitates a private sector-led economy, its economic growth policies are hinged on empowering the people by redistributing opportunities on the bases of fairness and equity. Progressivism is not built on trickle-down economics; instead, it is grassroots-oriented, invests in local opportunities, and builds the economy from the bottom up.
“As progressivism eradicates currency arbitrage, it would not leave the currency to float without a guarantee of domestic production, the cushioning effect of social investments, and a readiness to intervene where necessary to strengthen the local currency.
‘’As progressivism eliminates a corruption-ridden subsidy regime, it would not hesitate to boost or underwrite access to factors of production such as energy, infrastructure, and human resource in an atmosphere of transparency and accountability.
‘’A progressive approach to the subsidy conundrum would have been characterised by a phased removal of subsidy, buffered by transparent investments in local refining capacity and social welfare, while the corrupt individuals and corporations that have bled the nation are compelled to return their loots.
‘’Whereas progressivism cooperates with the international community in compliance with international economic and trade law, it would not allow the economy to drift in the ocean of one-size-fits-all recommendations by neoliberal foreign interests.
“If the APC hopes to survive as a political party in a political landscape that is becoming highly competitive, it must revisit its foundations and reinvent itself into a new party that is an Alternative, Parallel, and Contrast, APC, to what the current party has become.
‘’While the president has tried to stabilise a rocking boat by announcing some interventions, let it be known that we cannot build a strong economy on reactionary and shifting policies. The president and his team must return to the drawing board to drive a coordinated economic programme based on the original progressive ideology of the APC.”
