By Seyi Balogun, Lagos

The Leader of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has advanced reasons why he declined President Bola Tinubu’s offer to serve as a minister in his administration.

According to him, he opted to support the government from the background by giving pieces of advice and proposing solutions to national challenges.

Bakare disclosed this on Sunday while speaking at an event organised by Envoy Nation in Leicester, United Kingdom. In his words:

“I told Tinubu I’m too old to be a minister, but I will help in the background in any way I think will help my country. I have never been part of the opposition. I am a propositional platform, if I see something wrong, I will suggest a solution.

“I can’t change sides quickly by joining one party today and another tomorrow. I am a full member of APC, and I will vote when the time comes.”

Bakare clarified that opting to stay outside the government should not be interpreted as being in opposition to the Tinubu administration, insisting that he had never belonged to the opposition.

He described himself as a platform for constructive suggestions, speaking out to correct shortcomings in government policies or actions.

He equally reaffirmed his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing being a cheap party turn coat.

By Seyi Balogun, Lagos

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made a clarion call for worsening insecurity, unemployment and poverty in Nigeria, to be addressed warning that leadership failures are compelling citizens to seek better opportunities abroad, often through life-threatening routes.

He spoke on Saturday during a panel session with the theme: “Lest We Forget” at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend 2026, organised by the African Export-Import Bank in Lagos State.

Obasanjo recalled an incident of Nigerians being arrested for drug-related offences abroad with one of the suspects citing his involvement due to loss of legitimate employment. He further revealed interacting with Africans who attempted to reach Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea:

“I have got those people who have attempted to cross, and the story they told me is pathetic. Some die in the Sahara, some die in the Mediterranean.”

“We have to improve our leadership to deliver, and once our leadership delivers, what does any man want in the world?

“But if they have nothing here, they will look for whatever they can get anywhere else, and you can’t blame them.”

He also reflected on Nigeria’s security situation since independence, saying governance failures were responsible for declining safety and economic fortunes.

“We just have to do what we should do to provide job opportunities, to stem the tide of impunity, to stem the tide of poverty, to stem the tide of kidnapping and insecurity,” he said.

Looking at the past with nostalgia, he said:

“I came back to this country after my commission as an officer in Britain in 1959. And I could go anywhere; I was posted to the North; I could go anywhere in the North, by myself alone, by day, by night.

He called for more freedom of movement across Africa, disclosing discussions with Ghanaian President John Mahama on a proposal to eliminate visa requirements among approximately 25 African countries.

“These countries should eliminate visas among themselves, about 25 of them, and if they can do it successfully, then maybe in a matter of a few years, the whole of Africa will be able to move.

“I believe that all African states should have such a policy. That anybody from the diaspora who wants to be a national of any African country should automatically be given.”

The former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, and Jamaican scholar, Prof. Paulette Ramsay, also featured at the session which examined African identity, slavery, colonialism, reparations and the need for stronger connections between Africa and its diaspora.

The three speakers called for reparatory justice over the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism, arguing that the historical exploitation of Africans continued to affect the continent’s development, among other things.

Ramsay, author of “Lest We Forget: Slavery, Slave Trade, Colonisation, Emancipation and Reparation,” paid glowing tribute to Obasanjo for backing the publication, which was witnessed by scholars, policymakers and cultural experts to examine Africa’s historical experiences.

She argued that reparations should extend beyond monetary compensation to include the return of stolen artefacts, stronger protection of African cultural heritage and an end to the continuing exploitation of the continent’s natural resources. In her view:

“We must not remember with bitterness. We must teach younger generations that we remember the horrible things that were done, but we survived, and that’s the best part of the African story, that we survived.”

By Felix Umande

The former Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Samuel Ortom, Terver Akase, has launched a blistering attack on the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Berger Alfred Emberga, over the failure to implement the Benue State Electricity Law, 154 days after it was signed.

In a strongly-worded statement, the former CPS questioned whether the law had gone on annual leave or had been instructed to remain in darkness until further notice.

He recalled that on June 8, 2026, Governor Hyacinth Alia signed the Benue State Electricity Bill into law amid fanfare, with speeches about improving power supply, attracting investors and stimulating economic development.

“It was a big occasion. Everybody at the ceremony was excited. At last, Benue was going to take charge of its electricity future!” he said.

But, he lamented, 154 days have passed with no tangible step towards implementation.

“Has the law gone on annual leave? Is it waiting for another executive signature? Or has the electricity sector been instructed to remain in darkness until further notice?” he queried.

The former CPS contrasted Benue’s stagnation with Abia State, where Governor Alex Otti signed the electricity law on March 17, 2025, established the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA), and moved swiftly to concrete interventions.

He noted that Aba and eight surrounding LGAs in Abia now benefit from the Geometric Power arrangement, while a mini-grid regulatory framework has also been introduced to encourage private investment in rural electricity.

“Meanwhile, in Benue, 154 days after the governor signed our own electricity law, we are still waiting to see the first tangible steps towards implementation. The electricity law appears to have been signed into a state of permanent suspense!” he said.

He challenged the Speaker on the House’s constitutional oversight responsibility, stressing that the legislature did not pass the law merely to provide another document for government archives, but legislation intended to change the lives of the people.

“Now that the Executive has signed it, what is the House doing to ensure that the law is implemented? Has the relevant House committee summoned the responsible officials to explain the delay? Has the government presented an implementation roadmap? What is the status of the proposed electricity regulatory agency?” he asked.

He warned that oversight is not a ceremonial function.

“Mr Speaker, with all due respect sir, oversight is not a ceremonial function. It is not enough to pass a law, watch the governor sign it, take photographs and move on to the next legislative business,” he said.

“Abia is already discussing electricity investments and delivering power through its independent arrangement. Benue is still discussing the electricity law that was signed five months ago.”

He concluded with a direct challenge to the Assembly:

“Honourable Speaker, can the House switch on its oversight light? The people are waiting for electricity, not another signing ceremony. A law signed in June should not still be searching for its first practical expression in November.”