- President Tinubu met with Pastor Tunde Bakare at his Lagos residence.
- Bakare urged action on poverty, peace, and national unity, expressing hope for a prosperous and functional Nigeria.
- Earlier, Bakare criticised Tinubu’s leadership, advising him to “stop playing God” and urging better governance.
President Bola Tinubu has received the founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, Tunde Bakare, at his Lagos residence.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga shared a photo of the visit via his official X account on Wednesday.
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Although Bakare was one of the aspirants in the 2023 presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he scored no delegate votes as Tinubu won the primaries with 1,217 votes.
Bakare in an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) after meeting with Tinubu, said his lifelong vision is to see a functional and prosperous Nigeria.
The Clergyman said, “My life, personal vision, is to see a nation that works in my lifetime. And those things I’ve discussed with Mr President.
“They’re not hidden things, but I’ve learnt that when you discuss with the person in charge, you leave it with him to do whatsoever he wills with what you’ve suggested.
“So, I’ve had a private conversation with Mr President, and I’m glad that he received me well. And I trust that God will help our nation.”
He spoke further on the specific areas he discussed with the president, adding that the details would remain confidential.
Bakare said, “God guiding him and giving him wisdom will help this nation not to slide or go down the drain, but to bounce back so that he can leave a mark that cannot be erased.”
On what he hopes to see in the next two years of the administration, Bakare said, “I’d like to see a peaceful nation. I’d like to see Nigerians being their brothers’ keeper.
“I’d like to see a good collaboration between the best of the north and the best of the south to steer Nigeria in the right direction.
“I’d like to see predictable progress in our nation. We have danced around some subjects for too long a time. It’s time to take concrete action to ensure that the masses of our country do not live in abject poverty.”
Meanwhile, Bakare, in his State of the Nation broadcast in Lagos on April 20, had asked Tinubu to accept advice and “stop playing God”.
He said the president should implement a “coordinated programme” to steer Nigeria out of its current crisis.
He further condemned the senate’s suspension of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Kogi central senator, the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers by Tinubu, and the subsequent ratification by the national assembly.
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In their response, the senate leadership said Bakare’s remarks on the National Assembly’s role in the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state and suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan were laced with “contempt and unsubstantiated claims”.
