Tunde Bakare: This is not the Nigeria I planned with Buhari

The General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said the present Nigeria is not what he planned with President Muhammadu Buhari when they ran for the presidency under the banner of Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) in 2011.

Bakare was Buhari’s running mate in the election that was won by former President, Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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In a State of the Nation broadcast on Sunday, the preacher berated the Buhari led government over its handling of the nation’s security.

“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 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,” he said.

Bakare added that country under country under Buhari needed a “surgical procedure”, saying the longer it is postponed, the more the country stands to lose and the longer it will take for it to recover.

“The purpose of this address is to present the facts of this diagnosis and point a way out of our current crisis even as we approach a critical juncture in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“They have been unable to address the underlying problems of the Nigerian nation. The major limitation of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been the failure to appreciate the fact that the problems of Nigeria are more deeply rooted than these honest efforts can reach, and that what is required is 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 Muhammadu Buhari decided to treat more symptoms by broadening its agenda.

“Instead, we have spent time papering over cracks and dressing windows while the weak foundational structures are crumbling under the weight of neglect,” he said.