Pastor Tunde Bakare of The Citadel Global Community Church has voiced grave concern over the rising poverty and economic hardship in Nigeria at a recent State of the Nation address delivered at his church in Oregun, Lagos.
President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the country’s economic disaster and the political crisis in particular in Rivers State caused great damage to him, Bakare, who was previously a presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He blasted Nigeria for the state of affairs, and said the country’s suffering is not limited to poverty, but has been characterized by “the collective broken spirit. ”While many Nigerians had prayed for improvement, “prayer alone no longer seems effective,” he said. If there are no concrete measures to address the crisis, he said, raging anger among the poor could lead to national unrest.
Bakare also urged the government to emulate the leadership qualities of Pharaoh portrayed in the biblical narrative of Joseph in Genesis 41, who was humble and practical in facing major national crises, and called on President Tinubu to emulate him to succeed in turning Nigeria around.
- Woman Leaves Husband after Falling in Love with ChatGPT
- Court Sentences Late Nigerian Gospel Singer Osinachi’s Husband To Death By Hanging
- UTME 2025: Peter Obi Blasts JAMB Over Early Exam Schedule
- JUST IN: Senator Natasha Tenders Apology Letter to Senate President Akpabio
- APC Gives VeryDarkMan Seven Days to Apologise for His Statement on Akpabio’s Condolence Visit to Pope Francis in Rome
- Shocking: See Moment Popular Nigerian TikToker Died During Live Streaming (VIDEO)
Bakare has also gone on a tirade against the leadership since January 2025, accusing those in power of deepening the nation’s crisis through authoritarianism and weakening democracy.
“Dear Nigerians, the past few months, since that admonition in January, I’ve shown that those responsible for sharing the cause of our nation lack the humility and the character this moment demands of leaders,” he said.
“Instead, what we have seen since the beginning of the year is a descent into tyranny and a brazen abuse of power. Those entrusted with power appear determined to destabilize what is left of our political institutions and have committed themselves to obliterating the guardrails of constitutional governance.”
”The crisis in Rivers State is a theater” used by Abuja to sustain its power, Bakare said.
Bakare also strongly condemned the current economic woes in Nigeria, calling it “a descent into tyranny.”
“The National Assembly lost its independence and became a rubber stamp institution under the government of President Tinubu,” he said.
There is a growing, glaring erosion of legislative integrity, he argued, in contrast with previous assemblies, which resisted executive overreach.
Mr. Bakare also lamented the situation in the Senate, which has largely been marred by the treatment of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was unfairly silenced for demanding accountability from the Senate President, and the insufficiency of some senators in terms of the conduct of their office.
This has also been done in a way that has undermined the whole political landscape, Bakare said. “We can say our nation’s political culture is the craziest and most chaotic version of motor park politics,” Bakare said.
The tactic, he said, has turned state institutions into instruments for consolidating power rather than for actually conducting governance.
Bakare also accused President Tinubu of “giving the lamest smack in the mouth” to an environment where the National Assembly has become a crusader for the executive and the country is getting to the point where it is about to become a dictatorship, with the presidency unchecked.
Since no person should be given the power of absolute authority, he said, the president should take a more restrained, democratic leadership approach.
“It is clear that our so-called leaders are determined to bring Nigeria into the mafia state. The two main opponents to the continuing institutional corruption are the executive and the legislature,” Bakare said.
