Although he claims to have quit party politics, former vice-presidential
candidate to President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2011 presidential
election, Pastor Tunde Bakare, is reportedly still one of the president’s most
admired allies.
In today’s Nigeria, hardly
has there been a preacher that has shown greater commitment to the
revival of Nigeria than Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly,
Lagos. Also, as the convener, Save Nigeria Group (SNG), he has
intervened in times of national crisis to the awe of even his critics.
For
instance, during the protracted disappearance of the late president,
Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua; after his death and the eventual swearing-in of
former president Goodluck Jonathan; during the arbitrary subsidy removal
by the immediate past administration and at various other times in
Nigeria’s history, Bakare has led such revolutions that stood on the
side of the people.
The Man of God and his congregation are extremely
passionate about the country and Bakare has been particularly critical
of successive administrations’ policies, corruption and wastefulness
that have made many Nigerians to live below poverty line.
He was
bluntly critical of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he said was
responsible for the numerous problems plaguing Nigeria at the moment
because he did not take the right decision when he had the opportunity
to do so.
The no-nonsense pastor, who is wont to say issues the
way they are to the political leadership, irrespective of their takes,
once rejected a cow gift to him by former president Jonathan as a
Christmas gift and asked those that brought the cow to go back and tell
the former president to give Nigerians good governance rather than
sharing the country’s wealth with a select few.
He repeated similar
modesty when during his 60thbirthday celebration he rejected a Rolls
Royce given to him as a gift on the grounds that there are lots of
Nigerians out there suffering.
“I am not in need of a 2015 model
of Rolls Royce, which was presented to me as a gift. I was sitting at
home one day and they brought in a brand new 2015 Rolls Royce into my
house. My 60th birthday was coming. I looked at it, kai! This is
awkward. When you open your car, your door goes this; its own door goes
that way. It clears the way so that there is nothing blocking your way.
“Then
I said: Oya, leave this place. Where is the road that I will ride it
upon? My heart is not in things like this. I asked my son to take a
photograph of the brand new car as a proof. I want to see good
governance. I want to see discipline. I want to see equitable
distribution of resources. I want to see the poor being educated; I want
to see a nation that works,” Bakare explained why he rejected the
expensive gift.
Not necessarily a leftist, Bakare – a former student
union leader, lawyer, social crusader-turned politician and his church
have been some of the most passionate prayer warriors for the total
emancipation of Nigeria from pervasive mis-governance and leading lights
in the quest for focused leadership because he considers Nigeria too
blessed to be named amongst the poor nations of the world.
Thus,
on Monday, January 31, when President Muhammadu Buhari announced him as
his running mate on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC) for the 2011 presidential election, it was obvious that
Buhari – known for his impeccable posturing went for the best hand to
assist him actualise his visions for Nigeria as at that time.
When
Bakare accepted the offer; it was not a big surprise to watchers because
he has been consistent in his insistence that government ought to be
better ran and has remained very uncomfortable with the national
disorder, absence of true federalism and untamed growing spate of
corruption.
When the CPC, which is now an important component of
the APC, lost the presidential election to the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Bakare remained the preacher that he has been and continued with
his fierce criticism of the Nigerian government and leadership.
But
back then, for the admirers of the duo of President Buhari and Bakare –
both coming from the supposedly opposing religions – their combination
was perfect for the country. This is because of their anti-corruption
stance, incorruptible personalities and clamour for reversal of the poor
standard of living of Nigerians amidst plenty. If they had won the
election, it was expected that they were both determined to bring about
the change a majority of Nigerians yearned for.
He is obviously
selective about whom he enlists as friend but Bakare is a man whose
judgment of people is never clouded by the sentiment of his faith. He
has quite a number of Muslims friends and particularly among them is
Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna State. He has always vouched for him
and recently described him as a blessing to the people of the state and
Nigeria because according to him, he has the potential of transforming
the state.
He is however not comfortable with some elements
around the president and this is one of the major reasons he decided to
quit party politics and not join some professional politicians who are
primarily in politics for what they could get from it, coupled with the
fact that his foray into politics is not for self-aggrandisement.
He
recently registered fresh concern about the intentions of some of those
around the president when he prayed that they are not among those the
president will elect to work with him in his quest to transform Nigeria.
“May
the good Lord surround the President-elect with men and women of
goodwill, great intellectual capacity, competence and character to help
restore our wasted years. I pray sincerely that not all those who
facilitated his winning the election will be among those who run the
government.
“I did say before the election that I trust the
person of General Buhari but not all those around him,” Bakare
reiterated, adding: “I mean every word of it because many of them are
nothing but Ali Baba and 40 thieves. And if these are the same who would
go into government, you can’t fight evil with evil. You can as well
kiss the anti-corruption stance of Mr. President-elect goodbye.”
There
is no doubting that President Buhari trusts and loves him. In what is
clearly sheer happenstance, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Pastor
Bakare have many things in common – pastor, lawyer, of Ogun State origin
and are both of good reputation and self-discipline.
To underscore
the fact that he is still very relevant in the mind of the president,
his name has continually resonated in issues pertaining to selection of
credible people to represent the new government. Once, it was reported
that he was to head of the screening of members of the Transition
Committee.
Likewise, in some of the unconfirmed ministerial lists
that have been circulated, he has been named as Minister for Special
Duties. And on the recent visit to Washington DC, United States on July
20, President Buahri took Bakare along.
As a military General, Buhari
surely knows that taking your brave and loyal followers with you is
important in winning a battle. He seems to be making it clear that he
wants the Man of God around him and that is a clever move by every
standard because where Bakare begins to criticise the administration
openly, it becomes clear that things may have begun to fall apart.