Easter: Nigeria In A State Of Emergency, Survival Hanging — Bakare

*Says Buhari’s Legacy In Grave Danger

FIERY cleric, Tunde Bakare, on Sunday, expressed concern over
the state of the Nigerian nation, declaring that the country is in
a state of emergency and survival hanging in the balance. He also
warned the president that he risked what American experts call the
second term curse if he fails to quickly arrest the scourge of
insecurity ravaging the country.

In his ‘State of the Nation’, broadcast, with the theme: ‘The
Conspicuous Handwriting on the Wall,’ delivered on Easter Sunday,
the Serving Overseer, The Citadel Global Community Church, formerly
Latter Rain Assembly, said it is crystal clear that the curse is on
the horizon.

“If urgent, decisive action is not taken, insecurity may be the
second-term curse of the current administration. This is the
conspicuous handwriting on the wall,” Pastor Bakare said.

Bakare was the running mate of President Buhari in his second
attempt at becoming president in 2011.

“I am compelled to speak out because this is not the Nigeria
General Muhammadu Buhari and I had dreams to create when he invited
me to be his running mate in 2011. I am compelled to speak out
because the state of the nation does not represent the Buhari I
knew when we took that solemn journey towards rebuilding
Nigeria.

“I am compelled to speak out at this point because, given the
state of the nation, the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari is in
grave danger of being confined to an unsavoury side of history. I
am indeed compelled to speak out because Nigeria is in a state of
emergency.

“For many years, Nigeria was in the intensive care unit of the
universe. However, six years ago, against timely warnings not to
overlook fundamental and underlying conditions as the country
prepared for the 2015 elections, her caregivers certified her fit
and discharged her.

“Those underlying conditions have resurfaced and our nation is
now in a critical state. Her survival is hanging in the balance and
has been rushed to the emergency room. The diagnosis indicates that
a surgical procedure is unavoidable; the longer it is postponed,
the more she stands to lose and the longer it will take for her to
recover,” the cleric warned.

Speaking against the background of widespread spate of killings,
insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, abduction and other forms of
heinous crimes across the country, Bakare recalled submitting to
the president at the commencement of his first term, the blueprint
for national reconciliation, adding that President Buhari had
obviously not found a use for the said blueprint.

Speaking on his proposal to the president, Bakare said: “On
security, Buhari must intensify the clampdown on terrorism and
banditry, by expanding support to the armed forces in terms of
technology, armoury, logistics, prompt action on military
intelligence, as well as inspirational leadership to sustain the
morale of the newly-appointed service chiefs.

“The devolution of policing powers to the subnational
governments must be prioritised. State governments must be
empowered to form local police forces and to provide cutting-edge
training and equipment for these forces.” In his prognosis of the
multiple crises bedeviling the country, the cleric noted that
“Nigeria has two fundamental problems; one at the level of
nationhood and the other, at the level of statehood. The first
fundamental problem of the Nigerian nation is the absence of such
unifying leadership that can redeem Nigerians from our diverse
ethnic and religious identities and integrate us into a common
national identity.

“The second fundamental problem of the Nigerian state, is our
inability to manage a sustainable and balanced relationship between
the centre and the federating units.

“If urgent, decisive action is not taken, insecurity may be the
second-term curse of the current administration. This is the
conspicuous handwriting on the wall.”

On anti-corruption, Bakare said President Buhari must be guided
by the understanding that the war will truly be won, not merely by
the force of prosecution, but, more fundamentally, by a national
moral compass and the deliberate and strategic integration of the
Nigerian people into true nationhood.

“If citizens have a definite stake in their nation, not only
will they not steal from the national purse, they will also do
everything legal to rid the nation of those elements who seek to
sabotage the common good through corruption.

“We need to bring the Nigerian people together into one unifying
national agenda. President Buhari may institute, by an executive
order, a vehicle in the form of a Presidential Commission for
National Reconciliation, Reintegration and Restructuring or
Rebirth, however so named, the details of which I have presented to
him since the commencement of his first term in office,” he
said.

Through racing against time, he believed the administration
could still finish well and strong if it will hearken to the
restructuring cries. The cleric mapped out his understanding of
restructuring thus: “Restructuring does not mean the dismemberment
of the Nigerian State. It is not an attack on Nigerian unity. It
does not mean disadvantaging any section of the country.
Restructuring means empowering the North-West, the NorthCentral,
the North-East, the South-West, the South-South and the South-East,
so that every part of our country will be safe and prosperous.

“Show me one person who does not want this for our country, and
I will show you an enemy of Nigeria. “Unfortunately, the insecurity
and instability now raging across the nation are the results of our
national failure to act on this truth over the years. Because we
have failed to guarantee effective regional governance, a regional
governance vacuum has been created. The insecurity in our country
is the attempt by regional non-state actors to fill that regional
vacuum.

“The greatest demand on the administration of President
Muhammadu Buhari is to facilitate the emergence of legitimate
regional governance frameworks that can fill the vacuum and flush
out the illegitimate structures.

“In the two years left of this administration, the president
needs to make an executive decision to approach the restructuring
question from a three-pronged perspective targetted at his
administration’s three-point agenda, namely; security, economy and
anti-corruption.”

He said now, the country is confronted with illegitimate
regional actors seeking to hijack governance and control the
political economy of the regions; from the Boko Haram terrorists in
the North-East to the bandits in the North-West, to the criminal
herdsmen in the North-Central, to regional militias in the
South-West, to the militants in the SouthSouth and to the
secessionists in the South-East. Bakare said Buhari took the oath
of office first in 2015, summing up his election campaign promises
in three pivotal agendas, with a focus on job creation, but noted
that major limitation of the administration had been the failure to
appreciate the fact that Nigeria’s problems are more deeply rooted
and, therefore, requires a holistic and systematic approach to
governance.

“Unfortunately, after winning re-election in 2019, rather than
do a deep dive to address the fundamental causes of our national
malady by dealing with the root causes of insecurity, corruption
and joblessness, the administration of President Buhari decided to
treat more symptoms by broadening its agenda. The president’s Next
Level Agenda widened the focus from a three-point to a nine-point
agenda.

“The re-elected president overestimates his mandate. He ignores
opposition and pursues goals that prove to be beyond reach,” Bakare
stated.

Bakare, who said he was not condemning the administration’s Next
Level Agenda as not important, wants facilitation of the emergence
of legitimate regional governance frameworks that can fill the
vacuum and flush out the illegitimate structures.

*Says Buhari’s Legacy In Grave Danger

FIERY cleric, Tunde Bakare, on Sunday, expressed concern over
the state of the Nigerian nation, declaring that the country is in
a state of emergency and survival hanging in the balance. He also
warned the president that he risked what American experts call the
second term curse if he fails to quickly arrest the scourge of
insecurity ravaging the country.

In his ‘State of the Nation’, broadcast, with the theme: ‘The
Conspicuous Handwriting on the Wall,’ delivered on Easter Sunday,
the Serving Overseer, The Citadel Global Community Church, formerly
Latter Rain Assembly, said it is crystal clear that the curse is on
the horizon.

“If urgent, decisive action is not taken, insecurity may be the
second-term curse of the current administration. This is the
conspicuous handwriting on the wall,” Pastor Bakare said.

Bakare was the running mate of President Buhari in his second
attempt at becoming president in 2011.

“I am compelled to speak out because this is not the Nigeria
General Muhammadu Buhari and I had dreams to create when he invited
me to be his running mate in 2011. I am compelled to speak out
because the state of the nation does not represent the Buhari I
knew when we took that solemn journey towards rebuilding
Nigeria.

“I am compelled to speak out at this point because, given the
state of the nation, the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari is in
grave danger of being confined to an unsavoury side of history. I
am indeed compelled to speak out because Nigeria is in a state of
emergency.

“For many years, Nigeria was in the intensive care unit of the
universe. However, six years ago, against timely warnings not to
overlook fundamental and underlying conditions as the country
prepared for the 2015 elections, her caregivers certified her fit
and discharged her.

“Those underlying conditions have resurfaced and our nation is
now in a critical state. Her survival is hanging in the balance and
has been rushed to the emergency room. The diagnosis indicates that
a surgical procedure is unavoidable; the longer it is postponed,
the more she stands to lose and the longer it will take for her to
recover,” the cleric warned.

Speaking against the background of widespread spate of killings,
insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, abduction and other forms of
heinous crimes across the country, Bakare recalled submitting to
the president at the commencement of his first term, the blueprint
for national reconciliation, adding that President Buhari had
obviously not found a use for the said blueprint.

Speaking on his proposal to the president, Bakare said: “On
security, Buhari must intensify the clampdown on terrorism and
banditry, by expanding support to the armed forces in terms of
technology, armoury, logistics, prompt action on military
intelligence, as well as inspirational leadership to sustain the
morale of the newly-appointed service chiefs.

“The devolution of policing powers to the subnational
governments must be prioritised. State governments must be
empowered to form local police forces and to provide cutting-edge
training and equipment for these forces.” In his prognosis of the
multiple crises bedeviling the country, the cleric noted that
“Nigeria has two fundamental problems; one at the level of
nationhood and the other, at the level of statehood. The first
fundamental problem of the Nigerian nation is the absence of such
unifying leadership that can redeem Nigerians from our diverse
ethnic and religious identities and integrate us into a common
national identity.

“The second fundamental problem of the Nigerian state, is our
inability to manage a sustainable and balanced relationship between
the centre and the federating units.

“If urgent, decisive action is not taken, insecurity may be the
second-term curse of the current administration. This is the
conspicuous handwriting on the wall.”

On anti-corruption, Bakare said President Buhari must be guided
by the understanding that the war will truly be won, not merely by
the force of prosecution, but, more fundamentally, by a national
moral compass and the deliberate and strategic integration of the
Nigerian people into true nationhood.

“If citizens have a definite stake in their nation, not only
will they not steal from the national purse, they will also do
everything legal to rid the nation of those elements who seek to
sabotage the common good through corruption.

“We need to bring the Nigerian people together into one unifying
national agenda. President Buhari may institute, by an executive
order, a vehicle in the form of a Presidential Commission for
National Reconciliation, Reintegration and Restructuring or
Rebirth, however so named, the details of which I have presented to
him since the commencement of his first term in office,” he
said.

Through racing against time, he believed the administration
could still finish well and strong if it will hearken to the
restructuring cries. The cleric mapped out his understanding of
restructuring thus: “Restructuring does not mean the dismemberment
of the Nigerian State. It is not an attack on Nigerian unity. It
does not mean disadvantaging any section of the country.
Restructuring means empowering the North-West, the NorthCentral,
the North-East, the South-West, the South-South and the South-East,
so that every part of our country will be safe and prosperous.

“Show me one person who does not want this for our country, and
I will show you an enemy of Nigeria. “Unfortunately, the insecurity
and instability now raging across the nation are the results of our
national failure to act on this truth over the years. Because we
have failed to guarantee effective regional governance, a regional
governance vacuum has been created. The insecurity in our country
is the attempt by regional non-state actors to fill that regional
vacuum.

“The greatest demand on the administration of President
Muhammadu Buhari is to facilitate the emergence of legitimate
regional governance frameworks that can fill the vacuum and flush
out the illegitimate structures.

“In the two years left of this administration, the president
needs to make an executive decision to approach the restructuring
question from a three-pronged perspective targetted at his
administration’s three-point agenda, namely; security, economy and
anti-corruption.”

He said now, the country is confronted with illegitimate
regional actors seeking to hijack governance and control the
political economy of the regions; from the Boko Haram terrorists in
the North-East to the bandits in the North-West, to the criminal
herdsmen in the North-Central, to regional militias in the
South-West, to the militants in the SouthSouth and to the
secessionists in the South-East. Bakare said Buhari took the oath
of office first in 2015, summing up his election campaign promises
in three pivotal agendas, with a focus on job creation, but noted
that major limitation of the administration had been the failure to
appreciate the fact that Nigeria’s problems are more deeply rooted
and, therefore, requires a holistic and systematic approach to
governance.

“Unfortunately, after winning re-election in 2019, rather than
do a deep dive to address the fundamental causes of our national
malady by dealing with the root causes of insecurity, corruption
and joblessness, the administration of President Buhari decided to
treat more symptoms by broadening its agenda. The president’s Next
Level Agenda widened the focus from a three-point to a nine-point
agenda.

“The re-elected president overestimates his mandate. He ignores
opposition and pursues goals that prove to be beyond reach,” Bakare
stated.

Bakare, who said he was not condemning the administration’s Next
Level Agenda as not important, wants facilitation of the emergence
of legitimate regional governance frameworks that can fill the
vacuum and flush out the illegitimate structures.