Bakare and Buhari

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly and Convener, Save Nigeria Group (SNG) has said the responsibility for initiating far-reaching structural, institutional and constitutional changes, which,  he said,  are necessary to salvage the soul of Nigeria rest with President Muhammadu Buhari.

In his ‘State of the nation’ speech he gave to mark  Nigeria’s 57^th Independence Anniversary on Sunday, titled “Pragmatic steps towards restructuring Nigeria,” the Clergyman noted that  the President returned from his over 100 days trip to the United Kingdom to meet agitations from various parts of the country.

Pastor Bakare noted that the President had consequently directed that such agitations should be directed at the National Assembly.

Pastor Bakare noted that though the National Assembly is the only avenue for making constitutional changes required to restructure the country possible, nevertheless, many Nigerians are pessimistic that the members can initiate the task of restructuring of the country due to the unenviable reputation of the lawmakers.

Still, Bakare noted that the lawmakers have proved that they can rise up to the occasion when there is a demand for it, citing how the National Assembly killed the third term ambition of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as well as the the initiation of doctrine of necessity to take care of the mess created by failure of late President Umaru Yar’Adua to hand over his then deputy, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan when he went to Saudi Arabia for treatment.

Nevertheless, the Clergyman who was a running mate to President Buhari as the candidate of Congress for Progressive Change in the 2011 presidential election told the President that the buck stops at his table, quoting the words on the desk of the 33^rd president of the United States, Harry Truman: “THE BUCK STOPS HERE!”

Pastor Bakare therefore prayed that the President will find the “courage and political will to do what is right at this momentous period in the history of our nation.”

Pastor Bakare said, “Undoubtedly, Mr. President has returned to a nation hanging in a precarious balance. Indeed, our nation is enmeshed in a prolonged war against the retrogressive effects of a structure that was created by the fear of the past, has become institutionalized by the fear of the present, and is being perpetuated by the fear of the unknown.

“These fears have morphed into a horde of agitations which, in an address upon his return in August, Mr. President charged aggrieved persons to channel to the National Assembly and the Council of State.

However, due to the reputation that members of the hallowed chambers have created in the minds of Nigerians, many have expressed doubts as to the ability and willingness of the National Assembly to midwife the structural, institutional and constitutional solutions demanded by Nigeria’s historical and present circumstances.

“As a result, Nigerians from all walks of life are questioning Mr. President’s recommendations as to proper channels for agitations, even though the National Assembly and by extension the State Houses of Assembly are the only available constitutional avenues for making peaceful change possible and violent change inconceivable.

“We can only keep hope alive by reminding ourselves that the National Assembly has, in the past, risen to the occasion and intervened at crucial moments such as this. From the decisive death blow dealt the third term agenda of the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, by the 5^th National Assembly, to the doctrine of necessity invoked by the 6^th National Assembly, the 8^th National Assembly has sufficient precedents on how to act in the best interest of Nigeria.

“We believe that the distinguished and honourable lawmakers will rise to the occasion and work closely with the president to pilot Nigeria into stable and prosperous nationhood.

“Having laid the foundation of the need for legislative responsibility, I must state that, as far as championing the far-reaching structural, institutional and constitutional changes necessary to salvage the soul of our nation is concerned, the words on the desk of the 33^rd president of the United States, Harry Truman: “THE BUCK STOPS HERE!”, are relevant to President Buhari whose legacy is at stake. Mr. President, the buck stops at your desk and, as always, my earnest prayer is that you find the courage and political will to do what is right at this momentous period in the history of our nation.

READ Pastor Tunde Bakare’s State of the Nation Address:  Pragmatic steps towards restructuring