The serving overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, says He only campaigned against oppression in 2012 and not against subsidy removal.
In 2012, former President Goodluck Jonathan announced the removal of subsidy from petroleum products.
The president’s announcement meant that PMS, which sold for N65 a litre – with subsidy – would go for N141, more than a hundred per cent increase.
The decision sparked nationwide protests with pastor Tunde Bakare on the streets who was one of the leading opposition forces among others against the subsidy removal.
But Bakare, while speaking at an annual conference organised by Covenant Christian Centre in Lagos on Thursday, said he has not led a protest against the recent fuel subsidy removal as he did during the previous administration under Goodluck Jonathan because the protest he led at that time was for the “voiceless”.
“I’m not an activist. I did not campaign against subsidy removal during Jonathan’s time; I campaigned against oppression of the poor. We give voice to the voiceless,” Bakare said.
Speaking on the current leadership as the Nation clocked 60 years of independence Bakare said, “If you compare our performance with the nations that began this journey with us — nations like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea — they’ve left us behind. We are still in the woods and are yet to come out,” he said.
“We thank God we are still a nation and we trust God that as we dialogue this afternoon and others bring their ideas to the table, those that are leading us will begin to put the best of us in strategic positions to move our nation forward.
“No nation anywhere can survive or embark on predictable progress when mediocres are in charge.
“I’m not sure and I’m not limiting the Almighty and I hope this will not be seen as blasphemy; I’m not sure the Bible contemplates Nigerian leadership, because the Bible says when the blind leads the blind, they all end up in a ditch. But we’re in a nation where the blind leads the seeing.”