Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Senior Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter Rain Church, delivered a powerful State of the Nation address on Sunday, calling on President Bola Tinubu to tackle corruption and impunity in Nigeria. He also warned against the negative impact of the fuel subsidy removal on the masses.
Speaking at his church in Lagos, Pastor Bakare said that the fuel subsidy removal was a burden on the poor and vulnerable Nigerians who were already suffering from inflation and poverty.
He appealed to President Tinubu to kill corruption and not Nigerians. He said, “Mr. President, kill corruption, and not Nigerians. No economy can thrive on impunity.”
Pastor Bakare also expressed his concern about the proposed military intervention by ECOWAS in the Niger Republic, following the recent coup d’etat that ousted President Mahamadou Issoufou. He said that Nigeria should not engage in warfare with its neighbour, as it would be counter-productive and costly.
He said, “Local support for Nigeria by Nigeriens is at an all-time low. It is, therefore, counter-productive to engage in warfare. While we condemn coup d’etat in West Africa, we recognize that the situation calls for deep introspection on the part of African leaders.”
He further questioned the moral leadership of President Tinubu in both the domestic and regional contexts.
He said, “We call upon Nigeria at this time to provide good leadership. The real question is whether President Tinubu has the capacity to provide moral leadership even in the domestic context.”
Pastor Bakare concluded his address by expressing his optimism that God will move in Nigeria after his broadcast. He said that he was sharing what God had revealed to him about the state of the nation.
He said, “You’re going to see God’s move in our nation after this State of the Nation broadcast. Today will mark the time, day and season that God intervened in Nigeria’s affairs.”
