konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign
ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Monday, July 4, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Tunde Bakare backs Jonathan on national conference, tackles Tinubu

Tunde Bakare backs Jonathan on national conference, tackles Tinubu

byAyo OkulajaandNicholas Ibekwe
October 16, 2013
3 min read

Mr. Bakare, “Nigerians have wept and prayed, marched and protested, the time has now come for us to take our destiny in our hand and we must get set to rebuild and reconstruct from region to region.”

Convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Tunde Bakare, has welcomed the proposed national conference with some level of caution but warned that if the nation does not talk before the next general elections, the country might cease to exist.

The pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly gave this remark at the launch and maiden lecture of the Centre for Change in Lagos on Tuesday, where he noted that Nigeria should be a model for not only Africa but the black race.

Mr Bakare who is a stunch critic of President Goodluck Jonathan, subtly endorsed the planned conference at the event which had the theme; retriving the soul of a country in ruins.

The former Vice Presidential aspirant, who noted that the amalgamation of the country was not a mistake and that the things that unite the country and more than those dividing it, said “that is why we must all reason together when we have the chance to talk” adding that “and we must walk the talk.”

Without mentioning his name, Pastor Bakare subtly criticised the national leader of the All Progressive Change (APC),Bola Tinubu, for his stance in opposing the planned national conference.

Referring to the former governor of Lagos state, Pastor Bakare inferred that ”those that have being campaigning for the national conference in the past are now campaigning against it because tables have turned and they have benefitted from the public treasury.”

“If we do not talk before the 2015 elections, we can just kiss Nigeria goodbye,” the clergy predicted.

Mr. Tinubu has repeatedly expressed his objection to the national conference, describing it as a diversion and ill-timed, with about 15 months to the next elections.

According to Mr. Bakare, ”Nigerians have wept and prayed, marched and protested, the time has now come for us to take our destiny in our hand and we must get set to rebuild and reconstruct from region to region.”

Nigeria is soulless
At the event, Professor of African Literatures and Cultures and PREMIUM TIMES columnist, Pius Adesanmi, described Nigeria as being without a soul and spiritual principle.

Mr. Adesanmi who was keynote speaker at the lecture with the theme “Nigeria at 53: Retrieving the Soul of a Country” said it is has become impossible for Nigerians to forge a soul for the country because “we aim for material gains and not the ideals to create a strong nation.”

He said the present political class was too tainted by corruption to “mobilise Nigeria to national ideal.”

“Nigeria has no business being an atrophied decaying giant groping blindly in the dark in search of a soul at 53. No. We have no business being where we found ourselves today.”

Delivering his lecture titled, “Boda Nigeria, Bros Naija, and Soul Things”, Mr. Adesanmi, a Professor at Carleton University, Canada, said the planned national dialogue by President Jonathan should be approached with caution.

“When we allow a thousand flowers to bloom, when we embrace the idea of a nation as a perpetual plebiscite, we open up a critical space of negotiation in which our differences will gain a space in the sun and stop being a source of repressed frustration, we will truly have begun the journey toward recreation,” he said.

Ulterior motives

Also cautiously welcoming the national conference, chairman of the event, Itse Sagay, noted that ”regardless of motive, intention, we should seize the moment and talk about our problems.”

Also admitting that it is right to suspect the President of some ulterior motives in organising the conference, Professor Sagay said ”Jonathan might not have brought this conference in a state of true altrusion and for some private purposes but God can use people to make some desired changes, so lets all go out there and make this conference work.”

“Nobody has said the national conference will be successful but let us try and hope that at the end of the conference, we will have a Nigeria with a future,” he added.

The professor of constitutional law then advised that the conference must see to the removal of issues such as electricity, police, railway, minimum wage and census from the exclusive list and the cancellation of the federal allocation account.

He also suggested the return to fiscal federalism and asymmetrical federalism which according to him, will allow any region or state to chose what it wants from the federal government.

“If some states want minimum wage and no state police, the asymmetric federalism will let them and let those who do not, have their way,” he said.

“There is the need for states to identify themselves and state that we are united with Nigeria but are unique and want to express ourselves.”

The leader of Centre for change, Joe Odumakin, in her remark, warned that “there must be no no-go areas in the national conference and that decisions reached at the conference must not be tinkered with but only by a national referandum.”

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket



Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Libya’s boiling cauldron, By Dele Agekameh

Next Post

2014 World Cup play-offs: How Ghana disgraced Egypt in Kumasi

Ayo Okulaja

Ayo Okulaja

A Nigerian multimedia Journalist. He started his career with the trailblazing NEXT, then an detour to Channels TV. He now writes for PREMIUM TIMES.

Nicholas Ibekwe

Nicholas Ibekwe

Nicholas Ibekwe is PREMIUM TIMES' Head of Investigations. He is a graduate of English Language from the Lagos State University. He has a Master's in International Journalism from City University, London, United Kingdom. Nicholas, who is 2016 fellow of the World Press Fellowship, has won several awards for his work including the Wole Soyinka Prize for Investigative Journalism, two-time finalist, FAIR( Forum for African Investigative Reporters) Award, and Chevening Scholarship. Twitter: @nicholasibekwe 

More News

Allen Onyema Chairman/CEO of Air Peace Limited. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Facebook page of AirPeace]

EXCLUSIVE: Air Peace founder, Allen Onyema’s alleged co-conspirator pleads guilty to $20m bank fraud

July 4, 2022
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba [PHOTO CREDIT: @PoliceNG]

Osun 2022: Police redeploy Osun commissioner after outcry

July 4, 2022
PDP Secretariat, Wadata House

PDP Crisis: BoT to send delegation to visit Wike

July 4, 2022
Nigerian Police officers on duty [Photo credit: Today.ng]

Police seal Ondo church where 77 persons were ‘rescued’

July 4, 2022
ECOWAS Commission President Jean Brou

ECOWAS lifts sanctions on Mali, Burkina Faso

July 4, 2022
Executive governor of Anambra state, Charles Soludo

My visit to Nnamdi Kanu ‘critical’ to achieving security in Anambra – Soludo

July 4, 2022
Next Post
AFCON 2012: Ghana, C

2014 World Cup play-offs: How Ghana disgraced Egypt in Kumasi

INTERVIEW: People like Akpabio come once in a life time -Chancellor, Institute of Akpabioism

INTERVIEW: People like Akpabio come once in a life time -Chancellor, Institute of Akpabioism

Read All Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad




Access Bank Ad







Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,905,368 other subscribers.

Advertisement




netherland biz school Advert



ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • PT Hausa
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.