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Founder of Citadel Global Church Pastor Tunde Bakare has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to chart a new cause and build a legacy that will facilitate the emergence of a better Nigeria.
He stressed that providing strong leadership, determining the most pertinent objectives of nation building and converging all the energies of state into critical areas, should be the President’s first pivotal agenda in the next three years of his administration.
Bakare explained that providing strong leadership means results-oriented governance in which people, policies, programmes and processes of government are retained only to the extent that they contribute to productivity in the country.
He stated this in his 2020 state of the nation address titled, “Unveiling The True Enemies Of Nigeria, at the Church Headquarters in Ogba, Lagos, he adding, “We must learn from our forebears and once again come together as one people to salvage our common patrimony from the grip of the enemies of Nigeria.
His words: “In this new decade and in focusing on the thrust of nation-building, we have an opportunity to turn the tide of our nation and actualise the dreams of our founding fathers if we make the right choices.
“I believe it is no coincidence that President Muhammadu Buhari has the privilege of presiding over the nation at the turn of the decade, one hundred years from the rise of Nigerian nationalism. I believe a rare opportunity has been thrust upon his shoulders to make history in the service of our fatherland.
“Therefore, in the first three years of this decade, which coincides with the last three years of his administration, the President must take the lead in building a legacy that will facilitate the emergence of the Nigeria of our dreams.
“That means now, more than ever, being not just the Commander-in-Chief but also the Unifier-in-Chief of an increasingly fragmented and disillusioned populace; to offer hope, inspiration, compassion and pathways to new possibilities; to invoke the spirit of unity, faith, peace and progress in our Coat of Arms.”
Citing social-cultural groups and activists like Omoyele Sowore, Oby Ezekwesili, Tolu Ogiunlesi and others, he said strong leadership also meant accepting dissent and listening to contrary views, while making decisions in the best interest of Nigerians.
“To cultivate strong leadership, the leader must surround himself with the best, brightest and most competent, particularly those who are more intelligent than oneself. The leader must also be willing to take the blame for failure and share the credit for success.
“Very importantly, providing strong leadership means that the Nigerian government must be ready to confront the true enemies of our nation headlong and free Nigerians from the grip of their oppressors. We must stop calling treasury looters generous and noble, because they are not. They are economic terrorists and the true enemies of Nigeria.”
