Pastor Tunde Bakare, Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), has called on President Bola Tinubu to confront Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and restructure the country’s security architecture.

Speaking in his “State of the Nation” address titled The Darkness Before Dawn, Bakare warned that Nigeria is at the center of an escalating crisis, with terrorists and bandits increasingly challenging the state. He urged the President to prioritize comprehensive security and governance reforms over political calculations for 2027.

“President Tinubu stands at the threshold of history,” Bakare said. “He must either embark on holistic reforms to address the Nigeria Question or risk following the path of piecemeal interventions adopted by his predecessors.”

Bakare also referenced the US designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, highlighting threats of international intervention as evidence of Nigeria’s urgent need for effective security strategies.

On the Nigeria Question, the cleric emphasized unresolved issues central to national cohesion: the rights and dignity of Nigerians, equitable coexistence of diverse groups, and governance standards. He noted the North-South political and economic disparities, as well as the government’s failure to resolve conflicts between Hausa farmers and Fulani herders, which he said have evolved into organized networks of terror.

“The Nigerian government must protect communities in the Middle Belt, who have borne the brunt of violence for too long,” Bakare added. “It is shameful that citizens feel compelled to seek American intervention because their own government has failed them.”

He concluded by urging the President to take decisive action, insisting that tackling terrorism and reconciling the nation should be national priorities.