EZE O. KENNETH
The presiding Pastor and General Overseer of the Citadel Global Church, Tunde Bakare, has expressed optimism that his dream of becoming Nigeria’s president would be realised in 2023.
Fielding questions during the 2021 Democracy Day Dialogue which he hosted on Zoom, with The Point in attendance, he revealed that he was at Aso Rock the previous night to discuss national issues with President Muhammadu Buhari and those who knew, received him with the symbolic greetings of “welcome landlord”.
Insisting that he never jettisoned his vision despite his silence, Bakare said, “I’m keeping my powder dry. I have said that change will come in 2021. If we are silent, it is because deep rivers flow with majestic silence.”
Addressing the issue of political structure that could be relied on to actualize his ambition, Bakare cited several examples of people, including those in the Bible and recent history who rose to power on divine guidance as against verifiable political structure.
At the home front, he named two former presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan as people who rose to power without visible political structures.
He noted that there is so much resources in this country for any Nigerian child to go hungry, and promised that if elected president in 2023, “We will do so well that foreigners will be taking up Nigerian citizenship.”
On why Nigerians should trust him after his steadfast support for President Buhari he said, I have not at any time in life acted outside what I believe is God’s will. I spent about 45 minutes with him last night trying to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s problems. Some of the problems were inherited and others were created, but I’m not going to disown him. Any friendship that fails, never started. However, whoever wants to blame me (for the role I played in his becoming president) should blame Samuel for anointing Saul as king over Israel.”
He expressed optimism that the same God who used Samuel to anoint Saul, then set him aside and anointed David in his place would work his purpose out for Nigeria.
On balancing his personal ambition with his voiced support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he said, “12 years ago, I met with the leadership of Afenifere and I told them that Bola Tinubu was becoming an iroko. And that if you allowed an iroko to grow, people would be taking sacrifices to it. While the rest of us were sleeping, he was working, building people and political structures across the country, particularly the Southwest. He has even stepped into the realm of culture and is enthroning Obas in Yoruba land. If I promote him above my personal ambition, it means that I’m throwing away all that I’ve been saying that God told me about leadership in Nigeria. I do not judge any man by his past, because, every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”
While commending President Buhari for honouring the late Moshood Abiola and Gani Fawehinmi, and the presidential declaration that has moved the day for celebration of democracy from May 29 to June 12 each year, he listed seven areas that must be addressed to help Nigeria attain peace and progress.
He decried the hurried manner in which former military ruler, Abdulsalam Abubakar handed power over to civilians without laying the necessary foundation.
Bakare observed that the passing away of Gen Sanni Abacha (retd) offered Nigeria a chance to return to nationhood but Abubakar hurriedly handed over to civilians without a constitutional conference. He said, “the sooner we address this, the sooner we will give ourselves the chance to foster the Nigeria of our dreams.”
He said that restructuring the country has become even more inevitable. “All the separatist agenda will end the moment equity is enthroned. The constitution that will not bend will break,” he said.
