Senior Pastor of the Citadel
Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter Rain Church, Pastor Tunde
Bakare, yesterday, declared that he was not against the removal of the fuel
subsidy but the corruption in the system.
While he noted that fuel subsidy
removal and its harsh economic impact was taking a toll on Nigerians, Bakare
urged President Bola Tinubu to kill corruption and not Nigerians.
The firy televangelist also
tasked Tinubu 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 cleric, who spoke on State of
the Nation broadcast, theme ‘’Vice, virtue and time: The three things that
shall never stand still’’, held at the church auditorium, located on Kuditat
Abiola way, Ikeja in Lagos, also faulted the proposed military intervention in
the Niger Republic by ECOWAS.
Speaking on the harsh economy in
the country, he said: “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.
‘’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 condemn the spate of
coup d’états in West Africa, we recognise that the situation calls for deep
introspection on the part of African leaders and makes even more urgent the
case for good governance.
‘’The call upon Nigeria at this
time is not so much to compel submission in the subregion through the force of
might, but to command alignment through exemplary governance. The real question
is whether President Tinubu is capable of providing such moral leadership, even
in the domestic context.
“The president furtherstated that
the subsidy removal policy was to stop the squandering of monies on smugglers
and fraudsters.
“Mr President, while we admit
that, as of today, our nation has transitioned from an administration that came
to power on the supposed 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 fight against corruption
in its hydra-headed forms.
“Even if the allegations against
you are valid, you can still have a road to Damascus experience and decide
today to stand on the side of probity and bring to book the vested interests
that have built their wealth on the ruins of our nation.
‘’You can decide today to take
the burden of reforms off the Nigerian people and go after the corporations and
individuals who have plundered our nation. You can decide today to stand with
the poor and take the fight to the plunderers.
‘’Mr President, even though you
have announced some palliatives, let me remind you that palliatives cannot
address the root cause of the problem.
“Therefore, we demand that you
address the root cause of the problem. Take the yoke off the neck of the poor,
go after the looters, recover the loot, and retool it to the benefit of
Nigerians. In simple terms, Mr President, kill corruption, not Nigerians.
“Some may ask at this juncture:
Who exactly are these plunderers that have been enabled over the years to launder
our collective patrimony through a dubious subsidy regime? How much can we
recover from them?
‘’My fellow citizens, tighten
your seat belts as I take you back to certain alarming events that occurred in
our nation’s recent history; events that have elicited lingering 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 the wrong judgement calls in the management of Nigeria’s monetary policy,
but he must not be made a scapegoat. By the provisions of the Central Bank of
Nigeria, CBN, Act, 2007, there is every possibility that the erstwhile Central
Bank Governor did not act without presidential authorisation. If Emefiele is
found liable for any crime, by all means, 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
office holders 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.”
While charging the president to
address historical grievances and not to further deepen wounds, Bakare said:
“Use your courage to address historical grievances and not to further deepen
wounds. Do justice, mount a genuine fight against corruption, rise above
vendetta, foster reconciliation, and give every Nigerian — in the East, West,
North, and South — a reason to believe in a united Nigeria.”
Nigerians fed up with APC
On the outcome of the 2023
general elections, Pator Bakare said it was an indication that Nigerians were
fed up with the All Progressives Congress, APC, just as he warned the party to
revisit its foundation if it was to survive politically.
He said: “At this juncture, I
must also sound a warning to the ruling party, the APC. I was there when the
APC was formed and the extent of my involvement is well-documented. As a
stakeholder and, more importantly, as a nation-builder, I am obligated to state
without equivocation that this is not the APC we envisaged.
“The results of the last
elections were a clear indication that Nigerians are fed up with what the APC
has become. According to the results released by INEC, in the presidential
elections, the APC had 15.4 million votes in 2015 and 15.2 million votes in
2019, but by the 2023 elections, the APC’s support base had declined
significantly to 8.8 million, with a loss of almost half of the traditional
support base. ‘’If it were not for the divisions within the People’s Democratic
Party, PDP, and the emergence of the Obidient movement of the Labour Party, LP,
that split the traditional support base of the PDP, 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.”
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