Moments of Truth with Tunde Bakare

PASTOR Tunde Bakare is many things to different people, depending on what side of the prism you are viewing him from. One thing that is constant however, is; his stand or position on any issue. You can never find him sitting on the fence, he never wavers, he takes a stand on any issue that he is presenting, no matter how others sees it.

He could be brutally frank, never minding the personalities the shots are targeted at. The country need more people like him. According to Ayobolu, in his Saturday column in the Nation of23rd august 2014, quoting Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s (Rip) treatise, “Case For Ideological Orientation”; “In any theatre of life with which he is identified, every one of us has an orientation… If you meet a politician who is unwilling or unable to declare and, as precisely as possible, describe his position in relation to the cardinal points of political compass, you will feel strongly tempted to denounce him as a fraud, a total misfit or a hopeless drifter.” Hopeless drifters, that is what majority of our leaders represent. You take an issue to a highly placed civil servant like the Permanent Secretary or Director General; he will tell you it is the politicians. You approach the politicians; they will direct you to the Civil Servants. So, you are tossed here and there like a rolling ball, motion without movement.Continue...

The types of Tunde Bakare are refreshingly different, although, he takes his criticisms to the extreme sometimes. I stumbled on his programme ‘Moments Of Truth’ on Sunday 7th of September 2014, along with my brother Emmanuel Irenroa, in the sitting room of his Ugbuwangue, Warri country home. We both stayed glued and transfixed to the television set for the one hour duration of the programme.

This day was exhilarating, it was different; it was Tunde Bakare, not criticizing as he is wont to; but providing insights and proffering solutions to the myriads of problems confronting this nation. The majority of Nigerians are arm chair critics, they are not solution providers. I was just thinking; how many of those in position of authority are watching this as the bulk of them only tune in to foreign television stations and programmes as against our stuttering local television stations.

Tunde Bakare listed the way to move the nation forward; it only requires the political will of those in authority and the co-operation of the whole citizenry to make it work. For the millions of people that did not have the opportunity to watch the programme on television, I have decided to do a summary here, not in Bakare’s words but according to my understanding of the message.

Nigerians should see the country as God sees it. God has seen a country of prosperity and well being of its citizens. A country with diverse minerals and oil resources, coupled with a dynamic pool of labour resources that can match the best of the world. How many Nigerians realize this about us? Joyce Meyers says; “when we think wrong, then everything else goes wrong. We talk wrong, we live wrong, we make wrong decisions, and we look at people in a wrong way.”

The progress for us as a people will depend on our thinking. We must speak the right words about our country, and, as we keep saying it, it begins to manifest the way we have visualized and spoken it. This is the starting point for Tunde Bakare.

Next is; the rebuilding of the land. According to him “if there is no rebirth of the land, there is no rebirth of the people.” We do this by implementing a positive change in our core values. Why is it that; Nigerians have been stereo typed as 419ners? We must build our values of hard work, integrity, discipline and such others.

He practically recited our old national anthem, emphasizing the core values that the message sends across, stanza by stanza;”  Nigeria we hail thee/Our own dear native land/Though tribe and tongue may differ/ In brotherhood we stand/Nigerians all and proud to serve/ Our sovereign mother land” 2nd stanza;”Our flag shall be a symbol/ That truth and justice reign/In peace or battle honor/ And this we count as gain/ To part unto our children/ A banner without stain”. 3rd stanza’s” O God of all creation/Grant this our one request/ Help us to build a nation/ Where no man is oppressed/ And so with peace and plenty/ Nigeria will be blessed.” This is an anthem that summarizes our core values and Bakare prefers it to the disco/jingle we have now as anthem.

Another solution to the country’s problems according to Bakare is to ‘Break the Yoke of Oppression”. Our systems are too oppressive. There are so many oppressions and evil diseases under the sun. Oppression could make a normal man go mad.

No one is exempted; from government to individuals. For instance; why can’t we have single digit lending rates from our banks like their counterparts overseas?

Why must consumers pay compulsory N750 per month meter rent for power? Why must our landlords collect two years rent in advance, plus, agreement and other charges, instead of the one month that is the ideal? Why do our rich elite prefer to take the money abroad instead of investing in Nigeria and create employment? Too many questions to ask regarding the oppressive nature of the Nigerian state; Harsh policies everywhere, including our police men who are gradually finding their way back to the highways.

If you travel along the Lagos to Benin route now, you will notice the over bearing presence of police men along the road, so many check points and this is negatively affecting our road transportation system. Remove these yoke or burdens and the country will move forward, that is the recommendation of Pastor Tunde Bakare.

Finally, is the issue of “Setting up of Accurate Governmental Structures”, real separation of powers. This can only happen when oppression has been broken. All parts of the country must be acknowledged, whether they are in the majority or minority. There will be no loser, if everyone works in harmony. Let the brightest and the fittest of the land; whether from the north or the south be placed in positions. Prejudices of the past must die and we must stop believing a lie and false rumours about our country.

Nigeria is a great nation; it is left for us, the individual citizens to actualize it. That is  Pastor Tunde Bakare’s message as I understood it.

Mr.  Sunny Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos