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Pastor Tunde Bakare, founder of the Global Community Citadel Church, has criticised the numerous issues plaguing Nigeria, claiming that the nation is spiralling into tyranny under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In his address regarding the state of the nation delivered yesterday, Bakare denounced the recent wave of violence occurring in Edo, Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Borno, and other regions. He noted that communities are now creating “poorly trained, inadequately equipped, and unprofessional militias, with some individuals taking justice into their own hands” due to a decline in trust regarding the government’s ability to ensure their safety.
Bakare, who was the running mate to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2011 presidential election and a presidential aspirant in the All Progressives Congress primaries in 2022, characterised the country’s security landscape as a perilous path and urged for a comprehensive overhaul of the national security system.
He argued that the existing national security challenges highlight a fundamental structural flaw ingrained in the constitution. He insisted that there should be a re-evaluation of security policies to prioritise the protection of citizens over that of government officials.
“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 officeholder undergo rigorous psychiatric evaluation before seeking election.” He said.
Bakare further emphasised the need for Nigeria to restore national security federalism by implementing constitutional guidelines for multilevel policing, which includes local, state, and zonal policing systems.
In his address, Bakare also slammed President Tinubu for what he perceived as attempts at state capture.
He referred to the circumstances in Rivers State, where the president instituted a state of emergency, as a nonsensical scenario further supported by the National Assembly, which he labelled as the most “spineless” in the recent history of Nigeria. He asserted that, under the President’s influence, the National Assembly has turned into a “sanctuary for legislative misconduct,” readily approving everything he proposes.
