Emeka Ibemere
Pastor Tunde
Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly’s incendiary comments on the Federal
Government to apologise to Boko Haram over the killing of the Sect’s kingpin
has been generating bad feelings among Nigerians.
The
controversial pastor has been labelled different names by Nigerians who didn’t
found his recent comment funny and took the social media to lampoon the
pastor-politician.
The former
Vice-Presidential running mate to General Muhammad Buhari in the 2011
Presidential Elections was reportedly quoted to have said that one of the ways
to end terrorism launched on soul of Nigeria by the terrorist Islamist sect,
Boko Haram was for the federal government to apologise to them.
Last Sunday,
during the church service at the Latter Rain Assembly service in Lagos, while
addressing the state of the nation, asked the government to apologise to the
goons. According to the Pastor turn politician, government should apologise to
the sect over the murder of their leader Mohammed Yusuf in 2009. He said.
“But for the
timely intervention of God, last week’s assassination attempt on General
Mohammadu Buhari might have marked the beginning of the end for Nigeria if it
had succeeded. We will not also ignore the fact that at the root of the
escalation of the Boko Haram crisis was oppression and injustice”, he added.
“The summary
execution of the Boko Haram’s former leader, Mohammed Yusuf in 2009, provided
the soil of martyrdom for the nurture and growth of the sect. Government must
declare peace first of all; apologising for the murder of Mohammed Yusuf to the
sect members not their sympathisers or bandits.”
The next
day, social media went frenzy accusing Bakare of derailing in his pastoral
calling and asked him to de-robe himself and join politics fully.
Commenting
on the report on social media, one Garland Orhue said that the statement was
worse than the activities of Boko Haram. According to the commentator,
Nigerians did well in not voting Tunde Bakare’s party in the 2009 presidential
election; else Nigeria would have been number one terrorist country by now.
“Your so
called man of God is literally worst than Boko Haram. He has somehow found a
way to justify all these atrocities create by boko Haram. My greatest joy is we
didn’t vote him into office. Nigeria by now would have turn a state that
sponsors terror if not already”, he stated. Another commentator, who identified
himself as Ndubuisi, also quipped. “All these pastors in Nigeria are
unintelligent and this pastor is the example of that. How can the president apologize to terrorist
group that killed thousands of people since 2009”? He queried.
Another
Lukeman have this to say. “I don’t know about apologizing to the sect just
because their former leader was killed by FG, but if it happens that Buhari was
eventually killed in the last bomb blast in Kaduna, that would have marked the
end of era of amalgamation of the country called Nigeria”, he stated. “It is
better for Nigerians to stop the blame game and their differences (time to work
together), so that it can propel the everlasting solutions to the problem
hindering or hampering the nation. Terrorism is not just something that we can
take with levity hands, it is better for us to learn vital lessons from
Afghanistan and Iraq; it was started like Boko Haram killings in the Northern
region, before it started to escalate to every nook and crannies of those
countries. They haven’t known peace up till now. We are now sitting on the keg
of gunpowder”.
“So what of
the people who have lost their loved ones, brothers, sisters, parents etc
people have lost legs and hands and have become disabled, their lives ruined,
how will they get justice, all u religious buffoons, better shut up and go home
to your private jets (that you bought with your poor, ignorant and desperate
church members’ moneys”,
One Tony
added.
“I may not
know all but do these Boko Haram militants look like people apologies would
calm down? If anything, it would give them more grounds to do more horrible
things with the conviction that the Government has owned up to the crime,
accused them by Bakare”.
“Pastor
Dearest, BH is now in Cameroon and just abducted the wife of the Vice Prime
Minister; they have also killed many in Cameroon. Is it because Cameroon
government killed their leader? Definitely Not. Since Cameroon is trying to
help Nigeria it has become their target too”. For Ade, all are nonsense talks
According to
another commentator, Peterson prayed for Bakare and asked God to grant Bakare
wisdom. He however asked Bakare, if he was one of the sponsors of the gang and
said the pastor has erred on the side of Christianity. He asked
rhetorically. “Is this man serious?
Apologising to murderers and terrorists and looters? Maybe he is just one of
their backers. And Pastor, tell me one thing, do you really believe the faith
of a great country like Nigeria hangs on one man like Buhari? Do you have any
relatives or wives or children or even friends that were murdered by Boko
Haram? Do you personally know anyone killed by them? I don’t think so. So
better keep quiet and may God grant you the wisdom to get on the right path
soon enough”, he queried.
“I blame the
government for not acting fast to curb this menace to society, the Bible in the
book of Ecclesiastic, 8:11-13 has explained what is happening in this country.
So it saddens me when I hear people who should know better talk like this. If
the FG apologies to Boko Haram , will it change their cause, will it make them
love Christians more to stop the killing and bombing of churches, will it make
them embrace western Education, will it stop them from getting assistance from
the Northern Politicians who have promised to take back power by all
means. My dear pastor, if the Nigerian
Government offended Boko Haram what did the Cameroonian government do to them”.
A lady, who
didn’t use her name again asked. “A Pastor saying Nigerian FG should apologize
to Boko Haram for killing their leader? Pastor have you checked the outstanding
statistics of thousands of innocent lives and kids lost in the bloody hands of
the Boko Haram? Now! We know there is more to Boko Haram, than the FG is making
it look like. Their supporters are surprisingly people many will never have
taught. You are a disgrace not only to your church, but humanity in general.
You got be kidding me”.
To Reme,
Bakare’s comment was made him to lose the 20II. “This is the very reason why he
lost out in his bid to be Nigeria’s Vice president. It is very worrying
sometimes that he makes statements which rail against common sense all in a bid
to criticise the government in power”.
One sola,
also said he was disappointed to the comments made against Bakare by social
media activists. I’m very disappointed in these comments from Nigerians and
asked why the commentators only picked one point out of the five reasons
suggested by the pastor. “Can’t you people do your homework anymore? He named
five different solutions to help curb the crisis. Apologizing for the illegal
murder of their leader was only one of the five named as possible solutions”.
Seriously
apologize, now I have heard it all I have lost all respect for Pastor Tunde
Bakare. All the victims of Boko Haram, and their families, what would you
suggest they do? But then I guesses Pastor Bakare, have not been personally
blighted by Boko Haram, which is why he is making this ridiculous statement.
Edwin Chinedu Azubuko said, after all the
atrocities they have committed in this country and the embarrassment they have
brought to this government, he wondered who was to beg each other. “I swear
this Bakare has no point yet”, he said. While Yewande wondered the kind of
Pastor Tunde Bakare is.
For kassy
Dameji, amongst the five solutions raised by Bakare, the provoking one was the
apology statement.
According to
him, Tunde Bakare has Muslim background and so wasn’t surprise from his comments
on Boko Haram. “First, he was a Muslim, he brags too much. l used to watch him
preach until he bragged about how much worth of clothes his daughter buys or
wears since then and when he joined Buhari he nailed his coffin and as a ‘man
of God’.
Engr Okoh
asked Bakare to stop deceiving poor people that he was a Christian.
Kiikpoye K.
Aaron also said, “This is curious but by no means surprising because of the
person involved. The fact that a Pastor could run an election with a Muslim
when the Bible he preaches every Sunday and some weekdays tells us not to be
unequally yoked with unbelievers suggests that anything is possible to be said
or done by Pastor Bakare”, he stated. “I used to have enormous respect for
Pastor Bakare but not anymore since he soiled his hands with the rough and
murky waters of Nigerian politics. Members, beware as you may one day be asked
to change to Muslim in the Latter Rain Assembly”!
Charles
Anike, a social commentator and leader of socio-political organisation, with
headquarters in Lagos State said the statement credited to Pastor Tunde Bakare
of the Latter Rain Assembly was not only unfortunate but a clear indication
that some of our spiritual leaders have not only lost the anointing but have
lost touch with God.
According to
him, that pastor Bakare was requesting the Federal Government to apologise to
the criminals and murderous Boko Haram is also an indication that he does not
have compassion any more in his heart, even as a Pastor. Anike stated the call
also showed that he had allowed his inordinate ambition for power to over ride
and over rules his morals and sense of judgement.
“We condemn
in strong terms such calls and urge the federal government to maintain its
ground in the total War against terrorism and other crimes in Nigeria. We also
advise the law abiding citizens to team up with the government in all its
effort to end insurgents in the country. And in the same vein, they should
ignore Pastor Bakare and others like him that pretends to be speaking for the
masses of this country”, he quipped further.
“Boko Haram
in the last three years has killed thousands of innocent citizens for no
justifiable reason. And must be seen and treated as enemies of the state by
every well meaning citizen who truly loves the unity and peaceful co-existence
of Nigeria. Nigerians should begin to identify and know the enemies of this
country, no matter who they are or highly placed or their tribe. Our position
is that anybody or group that is sympathetic to Boko Haram in any way for
whatever reason is an enemy to our collective desire for peace, love and unity.
The precious blood of innocent Nigerians and the agonies of those still in Boko
Haram captivity will destroy them (Boko Haram) and all their sympathisers”.
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