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BEING TEXT OF SPEECH BY PASTOR ‘TUNDE BAKARE

AT THE STATE OF THE NATION BROADCAST

ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2018.

VENUE: THE LATTER RAIN ASSEMBLY, END-TIME CHURCH,

4, AKILO ROAD, OFF OBA AKRAN AVENUE,

OGBA, IKEJA, LAGOS, NIGERIA.

THEME: IT IS TIME TO RENEGOTIATE OUR UNION.

SCRIPTURAL TEXTS: JEREMIAH 8:20-22; 9:1-9.

Introduction

For today’s State of the Nation broadcast, I have chosen as a theme: “It

is Time to Renegotiate our Union,” and for the texts of Scripture, please

turn your Bible with me to Jeremiah 8:20-22 & 9:1-9.

Fellow Nigerians:

Happy 2018 once again. This year promises to be an unusual one and a

turning point in the history of our nation. In conveying my optimistic

salutations, I am not unmindful of the unpleasant circumstances that

characterised the turn of the year, including the fact that the first

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“Merry Christmas” uttered by many Nigerians was to their fellow

compatriots in fuel queues at petrol stations. I am also saddened by the

terror attacks on places of worship during the festive season. My

heartfelt condolences go to the families and communities in Guma and

Logo Local Government Areas in Benue State who began the year in

grief because of the murderous activities of heartless criminals. I pray

that they, and every hurting Nigerian, will experience the comforting

hand of God and find the fortitude to hope for a happy and joyous year

in 2018.

Tomorrow, the fifteenth of January, is Armed Forces Remembrance

Day; a day set aside to remember Nigeria’s fallen heroes, those who

fought in the First and Second World Wars, as well as those who laid

down their lives during the Nigerian Civil War to keep Nigeria one. I

salute these heroes and every member of our Armed Forces still

fighting in various missions in the world and, in particular, those in the

theatre of the prolonged war against Boko Haram.

I am also mindful that tomorrow will mark fifty-two years since the

shots were first fired that eventually destroyed the federal foundations

upon which our union was originally constructed. We remember the

fathers of our nation who lost their lives in the process, the likes of Sir

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Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. We celebrate the

legacies of these heroes past, together with those of Dr. Nnamdi

Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and we reaffirm that their labours

shall never be in vain.

I stand here today as I have done in previous years to constructively

examine the state of the nation, to evaluate our progress, to appraise

our governmental systems and structures against the backdrop of our

national purpose and promise, and to awaken leadership to the solemn

call to dispense good governance. Very importantly, I stand today to

prick the conscience of a nation that has turned the other eye in

deliberate sinful silence of a conspiratorial magnitude while Nigerians

are being murdered in various parts of the country by marauding

herdsmen. I will proffer structural solutions to these and other

challenges facing our nation in the course of this address, but first I will

clarify issues arising from my public statements regarding my role in the

future of our nation.

Setting the Record Straight

On the first day of the year, I shared twelve prophecies regarding the

nature of the year 2018 as I had received from God. For instance, the

tenth prophecy indicated that there will be an upsurge in the price of

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mineral resources as well as oil and gas in 2018. Barely had these

statements been made when the price of oil topped $68 for the first

time since 2015.1

However, the twelfth prophecy has become the theme of myriad

speculative interpretations and enquiries. While it has brought

excitement to some, it has brought anxiety to others. I have since been

inundated with messages from politicians and journalists as well as

friends and well-wishers seeking clarification or offering advice based

on their understanding of those declarations.

I did say that, while waiting on God, the Spirit of God said to me:

“Politics is not over for you. There is still one thing left for

you to do: Run for President…I will work it out Myself and

make it happen in due course2.”

I went ahead to put this in context as I appealed for prayers. I hereby

further clarify the twelfth prophecy with the following ten points:

1. The declaration was not a presidential campaign announcement;

it was an invitation to prayers sent out to fellow labourers

initiated in our corporate destiny as nation builders;

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2. To the uninitiated, that declaration was news, but to my partners

in destiny, to whom indeed the request for prayers was extended,

my journey and trajectory in the call to nation building is well

known. It began on April 10, 1967 when, as a thirteen-year-old, I

saw myself in a vision discussing the future of the nation with two

Nigerian leaders, General Yakubu Gowon and Chief Obafemi

Awolowo. That vision changed my life; it sustained me as a

teenager and propelled me into student politics at the University

of Lagos as I ran for the post of Student Union President; it took

me into active politics as I stood on the platform with the elders

the day the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) was launched in Lagos;

that vision shaped my uncompromising non-conformist value

system in legal practice, business, ministry, and politics. The

subject of the twelfth prophecy is therefore not new;

3. Nowhere in that declaration did I mention running for election. It

is, however, not surprising that politicians and the politically-

minded have interpreted it as such. Their narrow interpretation

reminds me of Joshua’s description of the sound from the Israeli

camp while Moses was away on the mountain with God.3

Whereas the Israelites were making merry, to Joshua, a man of

war, every sound from the camp was a sound of war. In like

manner, every time the word “run” is used in a statement, the

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politician thinks of elections, while a statesman thinks of the next

generation. I am, by God's grace, a nation builder propelled by the

dream of a New Nigeria and hopefully will become a statesman

someday;

4. I am indeed running, but not for elections; it is a race of destiny

and the destination is certain. The certainty of this destination is

reminiscent of the statement Jesus made before Pilate:

John 18:37 (NKJV):

37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”Jesus

answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I

was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that

I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the

truth hears My voice.”

In like manner, to everyone asking what the twelfth prophecy

actually means, my unequivocal response remains, “To this end was I

born, and for this purpose I came into the world: To lead Nigeria into

her prophetic destiny.” It will happen in due course, in God’s way,

and in God’s time;

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5. Some may ask, “How then can it happen, if not by elections?” My

simple response is that there are biblical precedents, including the

stories of Joseph, David, Nehemiah and Daniel; there are also

historical precedents, including the case of George Washington

whose unanimous election was merely an endorsement, and

Gerald Ford who, under the terms of the 25th Amendment, took

the oath as Vice President on December 6, 1973, and, following

the resignation of President Richard Nixon, was inaugurated as

the 38th President of the United States on August 9, 1974, without

a single election;

6. Furthermore, as Jesus said when Nicodemus came to Him by night

to make enquiries:

“…The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the

sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and

where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the

Spirit.”4

If God leads me to serve my nation by election into political office,

I state boldly that I will accept it with all my heart. In the year

2011, when the opportunity came to be running mate to then

General Muhammadu Buhari, God said to me, “You are walking

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on a path that I have mapped out for you.” In His wisdom, God

knew that phase of His plan was not going to lead to election

victory, but it was a crucial phase of His plan, and I dare say that

the dress rehearsal was worth it. As God unfolds the next phase,

my response to Him is simply, “Here I am. Send me.”5;

7. The important point to note is that it is my destiny to shepherd

this nation into her prophetic destiny, and the time is at hand. The

method by which God intends to do it is up to Him; I am neither

flagging off an election campaign nor building political alliances.

Like David, I will continue to shepherd God’s flock and, in His time

and manner, I will shepherd the nation according to the integrity

of my heart and the skillfulness of my hands6;

8. For the cynics who query the authority and audacity by which I

speak of my assignment to Nigeria, let me remind them of the

statement by Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo before the High Court

on September 11, 1963, just before he was sentenced to prison

for treasonable felony:

“It is, therefore, with a brave heart, with confident

hope, and with faith in my unalterable destiny, that I

go from this twilight into the darkness, unshaken in my

trust in the Providence of God that a glorious dawn will

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come on the morrow…I…will not die in prison…I am

confident that the ideals of social justice and individual

liberty which I hold dear will continue to be projected

beyond the prison walls and bars until they are realized

in our lifetime.”7

History later justified these bold claims. Shortly after his release

from prison, he became the Federal Commissioner for Finance

and Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council in the Gowon

administration (today’s equivalent of Vice President and Minister

of Finance rolled into one). In this capacity, Chief Awolowo helped

Nigeria prosecute the Civil War without borrowing a dime, to the

extent that General Yakubu Gowon, in a tribute to Chief Awolowo,

acknowledged that the late sage helped save Nigeria from

breaking up8. My question to the cynics is therefore: How did

Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo know that he would not die in

prison but would be released to serve Nigeria? If they cannot

answer this question, then neither will I tell them by what

authority I make these audacious declarations;

9. Having established the fact that I am ready to follow God’s leading

in the service of my nation, let me reiterate that what Nigeria

needs now is not another election but a return to the drawing

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board to renegotiate our union. You will recall that, in 2015, I

made a similar declaration in the message titled “The Gathering

Storm and Avoidable Shipwreck: How to Avoid Catastrophic

Euroclydon”9. In that address, I called for restructuring when

others were clamouring for elections. Three years later, the

majority that was wrong has become the minority, and the

minority that was right is becoming the majority, even as

restructuring has become the buzzword in our nation;

10. Finally, I am reminded of David’s response to his brothers’

spiteful cynicism when he accepted Goliath's challenge. This is

recorded for our learning in I Samuel 17:28 & 29 (NKJV):

28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the

men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he

said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have

you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your

pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come

down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I

done now? Is there not a cause?”

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Fellow Nigerians, given the state of our nation, is there not a

cause? Therefore, rather than waste time on cynical critics, we

draw strength from the words our ears have heard:

The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying,

“Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass,

And as I have purposed, so it shall stand…”10

The State of the Nation

Some measure of progress has been made within the first thirty-one

months of this administration11. However, as was the case with

previous administrations, the current government appears to be merely

patching the cracks on the wall. This administration anchored its policy

outlook on three main thrusts, including security, job creation through

diversification, and anti-corruption, yet all around us are signs of

retrogression.

As at June 2015, the unemployment rate was 8.2% of a labour force of

74 million12, meaning that about 6 million Nigerians were unemployed.

By September 2017, despite such efforts as N-Power13 and a range of

policies aimed at improving enterprise development and facilitating job

creation, the unemployment rate had risen to 18.8% of a labour force

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of 85.1 million14, indicating that between 2015 and 2017, the number

of unemployed Nigerians rose from about 6 million to almost 16

million.

On diversification, despite ongoing efforts, reports indicate that oil

continues to significantly dominate Nigeria’s exports revenue15, leading

to the shortfall in foreign currency in the first half of this

administration16. In essence, we have been unable to export much

beyond crude, as oil still accounts for over 90% of total exports

revenue17.

The ineffectiveness of the anti-corruption war is seen in the loss of

crucial corruption cases18. For instance, in April 2017, the federal

government lost four high profile corruption cases in ninety-six hours19.

These losses are in addition to bizarre developments such as the failure

of the government to confirm a substantive Chairman for the Economic

and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), despite the fact that the same

political party controls both the executive and the legislature, not to

mention the public showdown between EFCC and Department of State

Services (DSS) officials20, or the opposition of the Director-General of

the DSS to the confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the EFCC21.

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Furthermore, nothing indicts the current government greater than its

failure in one key performance area that ought to be its strength:

security. Despite recent setbacks, we acknowledge the gains in the war

against Boko Haram, but highly disturbing is the mayhem being

continually unleashed by herdsmen on communities in different states

across the country, including Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Adamawa,

Kaduna, Enugu, Edo and Ogun States, leaving trails of weeping and

wailing. The recent killings in Benue State are akin to the last straw that

is set to break the camel’s back.

Herdsmen Attacks and the Deliberate Sinful Silence (DSS) of the

Nigerian State

Not only has the government failed to stop these killings across the

country, it has done so against the backdrop of conspiratorial silence,

choosing rather to label such attacks “an issue of communal

misunderstanding”, as the Inspector General of Police recently did in

respect of the Benue attacks22; it has treated the menace with kid

gloves even after the Global Terrorism Index 2015 described “militant”

herdsmen as “the fourth most deadly group of 2014”23. Worse still,

some of these killings have reportedly been carried out in collusion with

the military24.

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Recently, the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government, Umar

Bindir, justified the bearing of arms by the herdsmen25 but failed to tell

where the herdsmen get their guns from and with which government

agency these guns are registered. Who authorised them to bear arms?

Who gave them immunity against section 3 of the Robbery and

Firearms (Special Provisions) Act 199026, which prescribes punishment

for illegal possession of arms? Who monitors the use of these guns?

Why have the relevant government agencies failed to act? In particular,

why has the name Department of State Services (DSS) become

synonymous with the phrase “Deliberate Sinful Silence” (DSS)? Or is it

now the Department of Sinful Silence?

As expected, due to the incapacity of the states, not even the anti-

grazing laws of states like Benue have succeeded in dealing with these

issues. These one-sided and incomprehensive legislations by state

governments that lack the constitutional powers to provide security for

their people have yielded little or no results. Therefore, the federal

government has become complicit for the following reasons:

1. By not advancing and vigorously executing policies aimed at pre-

empting or preventing these killings even with sufficient warnings:

I am reminded of the open letter to President Muhammadu

Buhari by a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada and

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Second Republic senator, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher. Permit me to

quote excerpts from that letter:

Your Excellency Mr. President…I am pained that you

ignored my advice in my private memorandum to you

dated 30th July 2016. I had warned you of the

possibility of a horrendous genocide in Benue, Plateau,

Taraba, Southern Kaduna, and Southern Adamawa

States. I asked you to be proactive and stop the

genocide that has been ongoing but which would burst

out in the open and shock the world within 18 months.

Your office replied my letter...thanking me

“immensely” and giving me the assurances that the

advice would be heeded…I regret to now inform you

that it is seventeen months since my warning and

prediction and your government did nothing to pre-

empt or prevent the genocide.27

2. By failing to make it an issue of importance in national discourse:

Despite the antecedents of the marauders, including the recent

Adamawa incidents28, Mr. President, in his New Year address to

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the nation, did not consider the menace or the pain of victims of

previous attacks worth a mention in his address29;

3. By failing to give victims a path to reconciliation and the hope of a

united Nigeria: It has been reported, for instance, that as a result

of the failure of government to act, there have been reprisal

attacks on herdsmen30, resulting in a vicious cycle of death and

destruction;

4. By rejecting the call to restructure our nation in order to bring

lasting solutions to these and other signs of sectional discontent:

In his New Year address, Mr. President further alienated his

government from the voice of reason in relation to the call to

restructure Nigeria. In his words:

“…I have kept a close watch on the on-going debate

about “Restructuring”…When all the aggregates of

nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is

that our problems are more to do with process than

structure.”31

I totally agree with Mr. President that we need process reforms;

otherwise, we would not be appointing dead men to head parastatals32,

but can process reforms replace foundational structural reforms?

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Never. Be that as it may, let no one confuse the genuine call to

restructure the nation with the gimmicks of political opportunists who

ride on the restructuring wave for their perceived advantage. Many of

them talk the talk but neither walked the talk in the past nor will do so

in the future.

Therefore, I say to those who have the power to take the decisions and

actions necessary to end these atrocities, especially by restructuring the

nation, but have failed to do so for political gains, that they are

attempting to establish a city by iniquity and there are dire

consequences. I am reminded of the word of the Lord in the Book of

Habakkuk:

“…For the stone will cry out from the wall,

And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who

establishes a city by iniquity!...”33

The current edifice of state has become a deathtrap. All around are

cracks on the wall that originate from the structural foundations. Those

cracks are dripping with blood and the stones in the wall are crying out.

The stones are crying out from Benue State and every part of the

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country where herdsmen have slaughtered the innocent in unspeakably

barbaric attacks while the government failed to act until there were yet

more bodies in morgues. The stones are crying out in every state in the

federation where workers’ salaries are unpaid and poverty prevails

because states are nothing but institutional and constitutional

vegetables on life support from Abuja. The stones are crying out

because young men and women are leaving the shores of a country so

rich yet so poor and are enslaved, prostituted and murdered in other

lands. By maintaining the status quo, Nigeria has once again become a

land filled with crimes of blood.

Therefore, since state legislation has proved inadequate and the federal

government has failed to act, the cries of Nigerians have gone up to

God as an appeal to a higher governmental order. The judgment that is

written in Ezekiel 7:23-27 (NKJV) is about to be executed:

23”‘Make a chain,

For the land is filled with crimes of blood,

And the city is full of violence.

24Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles,

And they will possess their houses;

I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,

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And their holy places shall be defiled.

25Destruction comes;

They will seek peace, but there shall be none.

26Disaster will come upon disaster,

And rumor will be upon rumor.

Then they will seek a vision from a prophet;

But the law will perish from the priest,

And counsel from the elders.

27‘The king will mourn,

The prince will be clothed with desolation,

And the hands of the common people will tremble.

I will do to them according to their way,

And according to what they deserve I will judge them;

Then they shall know that I am the Lord!’”

The Nigerian state has a choice to make on the way forward to lasting

peace and prosperity: It is either the path of divine judgment

reminiscent of a Jehu revolution34 or a choice to renegotiate our union

through a pragmatic approach to restructuring the nation. I will devote

the last part of this address to reiterating the latter option, hingeing it

on an interesting statement made by Mr. President in his New Year

address.

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Of Impatience and the Expectations of Nigerians

First, I will read excerpts from the 2018 New Year address by Chinese

President Xi Jinping that show the heart of a leader mindful of his

people:

“Our GDP rose to the level of 80 trillion yuan (12.3 trillion US

dollars). Over 13 million urban and rural jobs were

created…1.35 billion people are covered by basic medical

insurance. More than 10 million rural residents were lifted

out of poverty…

…Our country’s great development has been achieved by

the people, and its fruits should be shared by the people...

…officials at all levels must constantly hold in their hearts

the interests and concerns of the people, and regard the

benefit of the people as their highest career

accomplishment. They must think for the people, respond to

their needs, and work for the greater happiness of the

people.”35

By contrast, in his New Year address to Nigerians, President Buhari said:

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“We Nigerians can be very impatient and want to improve

our conditions faster than may be possible considering our

resources and capabilities…We must give a long period of

trial and improvement before the system we have adopted

is anywhere near fit for purpose.”36

Admittedly, this administration inherited a backlog of woes, including

economic recession, an unfavourable external environment

characterised by low crude oil prices, and a treasury emptied through

corruption by previous administrations. Also, one cannot but agree

with President Buhari on the long-term nature of the desired change.

After all, China began its journey to economic transformation in 197837.

However, the fact remains that, over the years, Nigerians have been

known to be resilient to a fault and to have low expectations of their

governments, but if Nigerians are now getting impatient, it could be

because they are beginning to realise that fast-paced growth is possible

when we get the fundamentals right. In those fundamentals lie the

solution to herdsmen attacks and our myriad economic and socio-

political problems. It is a call to return to the foundations of our

geopolitical structure; it is a call to renegotiate our union.

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Facilitating Nigeria’s Economic Miracle: Revisiting the Pragmatic

Approach to Restructuring

Nigeria’s past episodes of oil-induced growth have never been

sustained, not even when we had a GDP growth of 33.7% in 200438

after oil prices rose in response to the American invasion of Iraq.

However, as at 1963, when Nigeria had not yet discovered its oil, we

had the opportunity to build a fast-paced but sustainably growing

economy. At that time, the Nigerian economy had begun to grow at

about the same growth rate39 by which Japan would later become the

second largest economy in the world within two decades.40 By 1962,

official reports indicated “a rapid rate of economic growth” across

Nigeria41. However, while Japan’s growth continued, ours was

truncated by political recklessness and military intervention. This led to

the abrogation of the regional federal structure that nurtured that

growth.

Fellow Nigerians, this is why I stand on the God-inspired pathway to the

New Nigeria which I call the Pragmatic Steps to Restructuring Nigeria42.

I stand on this because it is a return to the winning formula, albeit

improved upon and better suited. With this plan, Nigeria can leapfrog,

within ten years, the phases of industrialisation to become a global

industrial powerhouse comprised of six geo-economic zones.

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With this plan, the North Central can optimise its mechanised

agricultural potential and harness the Niger and the Benue not just for

irrigation but also for hydroponic farming; it can become a centre of

world class cattle ranching that will not just quell the menace of

herdsmen attacks but also incubate allied opportunities such as meat,

milk and leather processing and a range of fast moving consumer goods

industries, powered by renewable energy. The zone can then transit to

heavy industries, including steel manufacturing and auto-

manufacturing, while also harnessing the rivers as inland waterways

and tourist attractions.

Meanwhile, the North West can harness its vast arable land by

deploying land-enhancing technologies for mechanised agriculture and

cattle ranching, while also becoming Africa’s defence manufacturing

hub. With this arrangement, the zone will then be provided sufficient

competitive impetus to revive its historical potential as a central hub in

Africa’s textile industry.

With this approach, the North East will have the opportunity to

redefine its identity from being a hotbed of Boko Haram to becoming a

hub for cattle ranching as well as pharmaceutical and construction

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industries, harnessing its unique concentration of mineral resources

such as clay, limestone and gypsum.

With its new-found liberty to develop at its own pace, the South West

can revive the vision of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The zone will not just

resuscitate its vast industrial and agro-allied manufacturing potential; it

can become a global centre for warehousing and distribution with its

world-class sea and airports. Its intellectually aware cosmopolitan social

class can become the catalysts of an African cultural renaissance that

will facilitate the rise of new genres of creative and cultural industries.

Meanwhile, within the zone, Lagos State can consolidate its position as

the African hub of global finance.

The South South zone, with its vast oil and gas resources, currently

sustains the nation’s expenditure. Nigeria owes this region the urgent

activation of the pragmatic approach to restructuring. This approach

will see the zone progressively obtain autonomy over these resources

such that it can house a cluster of refineries and petrochemical

industries. In addition, it can recover from its history of environmental

degradation to harness its agro-allied industrial potential. It can also

incubate a renewable energy cluster and become an African shipping

hub.

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The South East is home to a large population of vibrant entrepreneurs.

In addition to potentially hosting a globally competitive agro-allied and

energy industrial hub, it can, once again, break records in commerce

and industry, and export to the world, innovation, enterprise, and an

energetic human resource ready to convert opportunity anywhere in

the world in the interests of our nation and continent.

With this approach, within ten years, from a near unitary structure

comprising thirty-six states, these geo-economic zones can then evolve

into six strong federating geopolitical zones and a Federal Capital

Territory, roughly mirroring the seven emirates of the United Arab

Emirates.

Fellow Nigerians, another important season is upon us as a nation, as a

people, and as custodians and protectors of our collective national

heritage. A nation should indeed be more than just a mere geographical

expression: it should be the sum total of all its peoples, joined together

by shared history, values, culture and aspiration, fused into a national

ethic and an ingrained sense of identity. Failure to embrace this wise

option, brilliantly articulated with patriotic fervour in 1947 by the sage

Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his book, Path to Nigerian Freedom, is at the

root of the unfortunate challenges we face today as a people. Indeed,

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there is nothing anyone, however cerebral or highly placed, can do

against the truth, but for the truth43.

Our founding fathers embraced the challenge of nationhood in their

season by securing independence from the so-called colonial masters.

Our military has played their role, good and bad, in shaping national

direction for a considerable portion of our nationhood. The current

political class has done its part by facilitating our return to civil rule.

Now, it is the turn of Nigerians: professionals, artisans, students,

soldiers, policemen, para-military, academics, market women, drivers,

youth, both the employed and the unemployed, as well as every

Nigerian who is not an active beneficiary of the present disorder.

It is time for a DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION. The season for complaints

and complacency is over. We must seize this opportune moment to

translate our collective national disappointment into a uniquely

Nigerian REBIRTH.

The current political class constitute far less than one percent of

Nigeria’s voting population. To avoid engagement with the powers that

have hijacked our collective patrimony is to surrender our national

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destiny without a fight. And as Cardinal John Onaiyekan said: “Every

citizen must be involved in politics…Only people who are irresponsible

will say they are not interested; even if you are not interested in

politics, politics will be interested in you”44.

Our fight to reclaim and renew Nigeria begins now. Registering and

obtaining a valid voter’s card must now be a national priority. If the

2015 elections were critical to our national survival, the 2019 polls are

pivotal to our country's future development. If power truly belongs to

the people, it is time for the silent majority to instigate REAL AND

GENUINE CHANGE.

As I have declared on previous occasions, what is required to kick-start

this process is the creation of a Presidential Commission for National

Reconciliation, Reintegration and Restructuring45. This commission is to

be headed by a biblical Joseph-type national figure appointed to

provide visionary leadership for the process with the support of six

Zonal Commissioners. The visionary leadership will co-ordinate the

implementation of masterplans for each of the six geo-economic zones.

It will evolve for the nation a strong anti-corruption-based national

value system and stir up uncommon patriotic zeal among Nigerians. It

will also attract various domestic and foreign investment packages and

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float a social impact bond to fund development. The requisite human

capacity for the economic miracle will be provided not only by skilled

Nigerians at home but also by many others based abroad through

Diaspora for Development agreements guaranteed by goodwill and

fuelled by uncommon patriotism.

To facilitate the process, the National Assembly will provide the

requisite constitutional amendments within the ten years in addition to

serving as a monitoring and evaluation clearing house. By the tenth

year at the latest, the systems, values and structural underlay of the

geo-economic transformation will be codified in a new constitutional

arrangement whose preamble is the Nigerian Charter for National

Reconciliation and Integration46 adopted by the 2014 National

Conference. The new constitution will be adopted by the Nigerian

people through a referendum, such that it can genuinely lay claim to

the prefix, “We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria…”

Conclusion

As a nation, we have an opportunity to rewrite our history and choose a

more prosperous future. We can choose to continue to play the ostrich

or we can decide to take up the gauntlet and face our national

29

challenges squarely. Just as Moses said to Israel in Deuteronomy 30:19

(NKJV):

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing;

therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants

may live…”

Let it be known, however, that the New Nigeria is like a moving train

that cannot be stopped, like a stone that will cause the wicked to

stumble, and like a rock that will make them fall47; and whoever falls on

this stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to

powder48, and this nation will fulfill her destiny.

I have said my piece. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear: Nigeria

will be saved, Nigeria will be changed, and Nigeria will be great in my

lifetime. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the Federal Republic

of Nigeria.

Pastor ‘Tunde Bakare

Serving Overseer, The Latter Rain Assembly (LRA),

Convener, Save Nigeria Group (SNG).

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1Okoromadu, Festus. “Oil Price Rises Above $68, Highest Since 2015.” Leadership. January 5, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://leadership.ng/2018/01/05/oil-price-rises-68-highest-since-2015/ 2Bakare, ‘Tunde. “2018 Our Year of Good Success”, Video, 59:47, December 31, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l91oFjXm5U/ 3Exodus 32:17 (NKJV) 4John 3:8 (NKJV) 5Isaiah 6:8 (NKJV) 6Psalm 78:72 (NKJV) 7Dawodu, Segun. “Obafemi Awolowo’s Allocutus.” Dawodu. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.dawodu.com/awolowo6.htm/ 8Ameh, Comrade Godwin. “How Awolowo saved Nigeria from breaking up during the civil war – Gowon.” Daily Post. March 7, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://dailypost.ng/2017/03/07/awolowo-saved-nigeria-breaking-civil-war%E2%80%8E-gowon/ 9Bakare, ‘Tunde. “The Gathering Storm & Avoidable Shipwreck: How To Avoid Catastrophic Euroclydon.” Tunde Bakare. January 4, 2015. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://tundebakare.com/gathering-storm-avoidable-shipwreck-how-to-avoid-catastrophic-euroclydon/ 10Isaiah 14:24 (NKJV) 11Adetayo, Olalekan. “Nigeria @ 57: Presidency releases Buhari’s 57 achievements.” Punch. September 30, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://punchng.com/nigeria57-presidency-releases-buharis-57-achievements/ 12Ugwuanyi, Sylvester. “Unemployment rate in Nigeria rises to 8.2%.” Daily Post. August 3, 2015. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://dailypost.ng/2015/08/03/unemployment-rate-in-nigeria-rises-to-8-2/ 13N-POWER. Accessed January 2018. http://www.npower.gov.ng/ 14“Nigeria’s unemployment rate rises from 14.2% to 18.8%.” Vanguard. December 23, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/nigerias-unemployment-rate-rises-14-2-18-8/ 15“Nigeria facts and figures.” OPEC. Accessed January 12, 2018. http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/167.htm/ 16Ohuocha, Chijioke, and Mayowa Oludare. “Nigeria considers foreign exchange reforms as dollar shortages bite.” Reuters. November 21, 2016. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/nigeria-currency-lawmaking/nigeria-considers-foreign-exchange-reforms-as-dollar-shortages-bite-idUSL8N1DM2Y0 17See 15 18“Why EFCC keeps losing corruption cases, by Agbakoba.” The Nation. September 3, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://thenationonlineng.net/efcc-keeps-losing-corruption-cases-agbakoba/ 19Tijani, Mayowa. “Orubebe, Ademola, Patience…FG loses four cases in 96 hours.” The Cable. April 6, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.thecable.ng/orubebe-ademola-patience-fg-loses-four-cases-in-96-hours/ 20Akinkuotu, Eniola. “Drama as DSS operatives stop EFCC from arresting ex-DG.” Punch. November 22, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://punchng.com/drama-as-dss-operatives-stop-efcc-from-arresting-ex-dg/ 21Oyedele, Damilola. “Senate: DSS Report on Magu Sent to AGF More Damning.” ThisDay. March 26, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/03/26/senate-dss-report-on-magu-sent-to-agf-more-damning/ 22Wakili, Isiaka. “IGP meets Buhari, says Benue killings is “communal misunderstanding.”” Daily Trust. January 5, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/igp-meets-buhari-says-benue-killings-is-communal-misunderstanding.html/ 23Institute for Economics and Peace. “Global Terrorism Index 2015.” Economics and Peace. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Global-Terrorism-Index-2015.pdf/ 24See Agbakwuru, Johnbosco, and Marie-Therese Nanlong. “Uniform men lured us to be killed by herdsmen – Plateau attack survivor.” Vanguard. October 17, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/uniform-men-lured-us-killed-herdsmen-plateau-attack-survivor/ and “Tension in Edo as Fulani herdsmen rape, kill two women.” National Daily. May 23, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://nationaldailyng.com/tension-in-edo-as-fulani-herdsmen-rape-kill-two-women/ 25Silas, Don. “Why Fulani herdsmen need to carry weapons – Adamawa SSG, Umar Bindri [VIDEO].” Daily Post. December 15, 2017. Accessed January 9. 2018 http://dailypost.ng/2017/12/15/fulani-herdsmen-need-carry-weapons-adamawa-ssg-umar-bindri-video/ 26Law Nigeria. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://www.lawnigeria.com/LawsoftheFederation/ROBBERY-AND-FIREARMS-(SPECIAL-PROVISIONS)-ACT.html/ 27Ameh, Comrade Godwin. “’You betrayed Nigeria’s democracy, promoted genocide’ – Former senator bombs Buhari in open letter.” Daily Post. January 6, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://dailypost.ng/2018/01/06/betrayed-nigerias-democracy-promoted-genocide-former-senator-bombs-buhari-open-letter/ 28Silas, Don. “BREAKING: Suspected herdsmen attack villages in Adamawa.” Daily Post. December 4, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://dailypost.ng/2017/12/04/breaking-suspected-herdsmen-attack-villages-adamawa/

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29“Full text of Muhammadu Buhari’s 2018 New Year address.” Punch. January 1, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://punchng.com/full-text-muhammadu-buharis-2018-new-year-address/ 30Umar, Yusuf. “Silent killings of herdsmen ongoing in Adamawa, Fulani group alleges.” Vanguard. January 3, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/silent-killings-herdsmen-ongoing-adamawa-fulani-group-alleges/ 31See 29 32Olowolagba, Fikayo. “Appointment of dead people: SERAP asks Buhari to withdraw appointments.” Daily Post. December 31, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://dailypost.ng/2017/12/31/appointment-dead-people-serap-asks-buhari-withdraw-appointments/ 33Habakkuk 2:11-12 (NKJV) 34 II Kings 9 (NKJV) 35“Full text of President Xi’s New Year address.” CGTN. December 31, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://news.cgtn.com/news/3063444d35637a6333566d54/share_p.html/ 36See 29 37“Chinese economic reform.” Wikipedia. January 3, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform/ 38“GDP by Country | Statistics from the World Bank, 1960 – 2016.” Nigeria Data Portal. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://nigeria.opendataforafrica.org/mhrzolg/gdp-by-country-statistics-from-the-world-bank-1960-2016?country=Nigeria/ 39ibid 40“GDP by Country | Statistics from the World Bank, 1960 – 2016.” Nigeria Data Portal. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://nigeria.opendataforafrica.org/mhrzolg/gdp-by-country-statistics-from-the-world-bank-1960-2016?country=Japan/ 41Eastern Nigeria Development Plan, 1962-68. (Eastern Nigeria, Nigeria, Ministry of Economic Planning: Government Printer, 1962), i. 42Bakare, ‘Tunde. “Pragmatic Steps Towards Restructuring Nigeria.” Tunde Bakare. October 1, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://tundebakare.com/pragmatic-steps-towards-restructuring-nigeria/ 43II Corinthians 13:8 (NKJV) 44 Odunsi, Wale. “Why every Nigerian should be a politician – Onaiyekan.” Daily Post. January 7, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2018. http://dailypost.ng/2018/01/07/every-nigerian-politician-onaiyekan/ 45See 42 46“Download: Nigeria 2014 National Conference Report #NGConfab.” Premium Times. August 14, 2014. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/national-conference/download-nigeria-2014-national-conference-report-ngconfab-2/ (See pages 288 – 295) 47Isaiah 8:14 (NIV) 48Matthew 21:44 (NKJV)