Since the #EndSARS protest began, several clerics in Nigeria have weighed in on the issue – condemning the use of brute force against the peaceful protesters. Prominent among them are Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre; Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG); Apostle Johnson Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministries and Tunde Bakare, General Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly. Bakare once again showed his support for the youth on social media on Sunday.
The Pastor took to his Twitter handle to dish out some words of wisdom to Nigerians in a series of tweets, describing how Nigeria has sadly deviated from her founding fathers dream of building a great nation upon attaining independence from British rule.
He also pointed out how the Nigerian national anthem; a symbol and pride of our nationhood, was dishonoured as protesters were murdered while singing the anthem.
His tweet reads:
When our nation attained independence on October 1, 1960, it was with fervent faith in the possibilities of a great nation that our founding fathers lowered the British flag and hoisted the Green-White-Green. #SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
Their dream of a great nation was etched in the lyrics of our founding national anthem, the second stanza of which states:#SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
"Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign
In peace or battle honour’d,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain."#SOTNB— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
Indeed, the pride of our nation was rendered meaningless on that fateful day at the Lekki Toll-Gate when security operatives gunned down peaceful protesters on their fatherland who were demanding for nothing other than making our nation great again.
The soldiers’ turned deaf ears to the chants of the protesting youths who were reminding them that we are supposed to be “One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity,” – sadly, these were the very things they were deprived of and were fighting to regain.
Addressing the very core of the issue Bakare wrote:
In the past week, we witnessed with great sorrow the desecration of our nationhood as Nigeria’s armed forces stained the banner of our nationhood… #SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
the Nigerian flag, with the blood of our children, the Nigerian youth, to whom our founding fathers charged us to handover a banner without stain. #SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
No doubt, the past two weeks have not only left many traumatized, but it has also left us wondering over the essence of our nationhood. The mind bugging question is – why was it so easy to order the desecration of the very symbol of our peace as a nation with the blood of the young ones without any iota of humanity?
Bakare acknowledged the bravery of the youth in the face of stiff opposition, describing them as an unbreakable generation.
I salute the courage of this unbreakable generation; I salute the resilience of every Nigerian youth, named and unnamed, who has stood up to be counted in this momentous era. #SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
Indeed, the courage of the youth in the last two weeks took many by surprise, and it was borne out of a strong resolve to drive change which the nation is overdue for. And they are not backing down just yet until victory is attained and Nigeria is made great again.
He also pointed out several flaws in the government’s approach to handling the issue and admonished them to address the systemic failure at the root of Nigeria’s many challenges.
Be that as it may, governments at the federal and state levels have lent credence to the conclusion of protesters that the government itself was behind these smokescreen tactics to discredit the protests. #SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
By its actions and inactions, the government has burned the bridge of trust. It is my hope that this address will help rebuild that bridge and resolve the issues in the interest of the Nigerian nation. #SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
Any attempt to resolve the issues must go beyond the surface to excavate underlying factors. Our overarching challenge is systemic governance failure which, over the decades, has worsened the living conditions of Nigerians. #SOTNB
— Pastor Tunde Bakare (@T_Bakare) October 25, 2020
On several occasions, Nigerians have called on the government to address the many challenges threatening the unity and peace of the nation. Sadly, no one seems to be paying attention to the subtle issues that have constituted bigger problems the country is grappling with today, including the long-standing problem of police brutality that led to the #EndSARS protest.
It is hoped that as more voices weigh in on the issues plaguing our nation today, our government would wake up to its responsibility of protecting the lives of its citizens and put an end to impunity.
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