Tinubu’s reforms are impressive — but it’s up to electorate to decide, says Bakare

Tunde Bakare: Tinubu has tried his best — but it may not be enough for Nigeria

Tunde Bakare, founder of Citadel Global Community Church, says President Bola Tinubu has done his best for Nigeria, adding that it is up to the electorate to decide if he should be handed another term.

Bakare, who contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary against Tinubu and other aspirants in June 2022, said some of Tinubu’s reforms were imperative.

Speaking at Envoy Nation in Leicester on Sunday, the cleric said: “Nigerians have the right to change their leaders. They also have the right to affirm their leaders.

“It is up to them to decide what they want. As you lay your bed, so you will lie on it. Sometimes, the devil you know is better than the angel that is not tested yet. But I leave it to every man to do what he pleases.”

Bakare, however, questioned whether Tinubu’s experience and that of other politicians has been enough to address Nigeria’s perennial challenges.

He said the country needs leaders with the capacity to get things right from the outset.

Asked whether Nigeria would have been better off had he become the APC presidential candidate and won the 2023 election, Bakare said he would be cautious about making such a claim.

“I would be very careful with my words. I do not think Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is an uninitiated politician. He has been tried and tested. He is a man of experience,” he said.

“The difference that I emphasised in that campaign, especially at the Eagle Square primary of the APC is that we do not need men of experience anymore. Their experience has brought us into the disaster that we have found ourselves.

“You need geniuses who will do the first thing the first time and they will get it correct. For example, in the Bible, Joshua was fighting a battle and there was no precedent for what he said that day. He said ‘let this sun stand still and the moon stand still’. And the Bible says God answered his voice.”

Bakare urged the president to surround himself with people who would tell him the truth.

The cleric cautioned against dismissing all the policies introduced by the Tinubu administration, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy and the devaluation of the naira.

He said the president had to take some tough decisions, although his efforts may not have met the expectations of Nigerians.

“So, I won’t say if I had been the president it would not be like this because you don’t even know what awaits you until you get there,” he said.

“For me, Tinubu has tried his best. His best may not be good enough for Nigeria but that does not give right to any person to just rubbish what he did like the subsidy removal, naira devaluation and other reforms. There are some things he did alright and I hope he learns. If God feels his time is up, He will bring other people to power.”

Bakare also said he played a role in the political consultations that preceded the formation of the APC.

He recalled facilitating a meeting involving Tinubu, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the late Awujale of Ijebuland; Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos; and Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State.

The cleric said he later stepped away from active politics to concentrate on building Citadel Global Community Church, adding that he remains a card-carrying member of the APC.

He said he had told Tinubu that he is willing to contribute to national development through private consultations.

Credit – The Cable

Tunde Bakare