. Asks Nigerians to demand psychiatric evaluation of public office seekers
. Recommends governance model of Joseph to FG
The General Overseer of The Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Sunday said President Bola Tinubu’s government, in collusion with members of the National Assembly has enthroned tyranny and gross abuse of power in the country.
Bakare, in his state of the nation address in his church in Lagos, decried Nigeria’s escalating poverty, insecurity and economic hardships, accusing the executive and legislative arms of government of being determined to destabilise Nigeria’s political institutions.
Unless pragmatic actions are taken, the prominent cleric stated that the anger of the poor could lead to political, social and economic unrest.
He called on Tinubu to admit that his reign has inflicted so much pains on the citizenry and has drawn the country backward, stressing the need for the President to embrace humility, seek wise counsel, and make decisions that would ensure Nigeria’s recovery.
Bakare claimed President Tinubu has rendered the National Assembly a rubber stamp and an extension of his cabinet, urging him to retrace his steps before it is too late.
Describing as distasteful the current state of affairs, Bakare, the Convener of Save Nigeria Group, Lagos, identified the state of emergency declared in Rivers State and suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti’-Uduaghan as shame of a nation, stressing that “the two main contenders in the ongoing institutional immorality Olympics are the executive and the legislature.”
“Dear Nigerians, the past few months since that admonition have shown that those responsible for steering the course of our nation lack the humility and character this moment demands of leaders. Instead, what we have seen since the beginning of the year is a descent into tyranny and the brazen abuse of power. Those entrusted with power appear determined to destabilise what is left of our political
institutions and have committed themselves to obliterating the guardrails of constitutional governance,” he said.
He asked Nigerians to declare a state of emergency on governance by demanding psychiatric evaluation of those who wish to seek public office during elections in order to prevent the nation from having bad leaders in governments.
“While it is not in dispute that our institutions and constitution are inadequate, it has become obvious that our biggest problems are the occupiers of
these institutions and executors of the constitution. The quality of leadership in Nigeria has become so repugnant that citizens must declare a state of emergency on governance, demanding that every
aspiring public office holder undergo rigorous psychiatric evaluation
before seeking election,” he said.
Pastor Bakare lamented that the National Assembly has become haven for legislative rascality and that the lawmakers are being emboldened by President Tinubu.
“Fellow citizens, at the centre of this political banditry is the motor park brand of politics nurtured by the old brigade politicians and, in recent times, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Mr. President, it is through your influence that the Nigerian National Assembly has become a haven for legislative rascality. Mr. President, it is under your watch that the National Assembly has become an extension of
the executive, grossly violating the principles of separation of powers,
and rubber-stamping the whims and caprices of your office, all while
singing the international anthem of sycophants: “On your mandate we
shall stand.”
“Mr. President, thanks to your political machinations, Nigeria is now bedevilled by a captured National Assembly, the most
ineffective in its checks-and-balances role since the start of the Fourth Republic.
“This National Assembly, the Tenth, has by its unconstitutional endorsement of the president’s abuse of 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 state governor in Rivers State, pampered by the
indulgences of the president,” he told Tinubu.
The cleric further opined that under President Tinubu’s brand of politics, “The institution of legislative oversight is collapsing and our democracy is faced with an existential threat.”
He urged Tinubu to retrace his steps, saying, ” 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 counterproductive 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.”
Meanwhile, Pastor Bakare has called on President Tinubu’s administration to adopt the governance model of Joseph as recorded in Genesis chapters 41-47.
“In the boom period, all across the country, Joseph created locally managed networks of cities, industries and reserves with adjoining farmlands. During the recession that succeeded the boom period, as
national economies faltered, Joseph opened up the reserves and sold
to the Egyptians rather than put them on the dole, meaning that, despite the fact that there was a crisis, the people exchanged value for the supplies. Furthermore, while implementing his economic policies,
Joseph facilitated a healing and reconciliation programme that would
see him reunite with his brothers who had betrayed and sold him into slavery. By so doing, he situated his policies and programmes against the backdrop of national reconciliation and reintegration.
However, as the recession climaxed, even though the reserves were in surplus, the purchasing power of the people diminished to the extent that they bartered property and liberty for sustenance.
“Rather than printing money and giving cash gifts to the people, Joseph embarked on value reforms and structural reengineering. The vulnerable condition of the people gave the state new found powers which Joseph deployed to achieve the four main landmarks of what I call the Cutting Edge Nation: The creation of a new value system characterised by, among other features, patriotism and diligence; The reengineering of the national structure to consolidate the networks of cities, industries, and reserves across the country, with emphasis on geo-economic productivity; The institutionalisation of a culture of prudence in public private financial management on a tripod of savings, taxation, and investments; The promulgation of a new legal or constitutional order based on the expressed consent of the people to be so governed.”
