The Senior Pastor of Citadel Global Community Church, Tunde Bakare has put the blame for the current dire state of Nigeria at the door steps of corrupt leaders.
The fiery cleric, who spoke with BBC Yoruba, said Nigerians voted for Buhari because they believed that he would understand Nigeria’s complexities and lead it on the right path because of his status as a former military leader.
Bakare, however, lamented that President Muhammadu Buhari, with whom he contested as running mate in the 2011 presidential election, has failed to listen to his ideas on how to move the country forward.
He said the same set of people who laid faulty foundation for the nation as youths have refused to quit the stage as adults.
“They brought us here before they grew old in the job and refused to leave,” he said, warning that “Nigeria will continue to deteriorate unless we turn around and make amends and ask those stronger than us to help us.”
Speaking on his relationship with Buhari, he said: “I was in my house when I started the Save Nigeria Group. It was to help the country. I never knew Jonathan or Yar’Adua. God only showed me a vision and I started moving around, saying ‘do not let Nigeria go bad’. Professor Wole Soyinka, Akinrinade, renowned people of Yoruba extraction joined us.
“That was where Buhari first saw me and decided he could bring me close. We too, we wanted to know his intentions for Nigeria. That was how we met in Kaduna. I had in mind to help Nigeria, but just like when Awolowo could not become the president, as a good person, I washed my hands off.”
He blamed the growing agitations for secession on the state of affairs in the country.
“We should find a way of making Nigeria progress. We can’t leave our country for another. We have to take a stand and make Nigeria work. When separatist groups see that things are getting better in the nation, they will drop their grievances.”
