The President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev Dr Israel Akanji, has lamented that Nigeria is bleeding, wounded, and dying, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders to act now to save the nation from the precipice of destruction.
However, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said her husband is not a magician to fix all Nigerian challenges in a day, stating that he (Tinubu) is addressing inherited problems of many years.
Both Akanji and Oluremi Tinubu spoke on Sunday at the inter-denominational Church Service to mark Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Anniversary held at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.
In his message delivered at the Church service, Israel Akanji said Nigerians have become tired and weary of failed promises, mentioning that insecurity is deteriorating in the country, evident in the high level of brutality, killings, and kidnapping for ransom, among other issues.
He noted that this situation has been exacerbated by the hardships and poverty in the country.
He, however, called on organised labour to shelve the planned strike and pursue dialogue to a logical conclusion.
Referring to President Tinubu’s Independence Day broadcast to the nation, Akanji said the speech was full of promises but noted that Nigerians are tired of promises, urging the President to ensure that the promises are translated into actions that would improve the lives of Nigerians.
He said, “Nigeria is bleeding, wounded, and dying. Nigerians are tired of promises. We have heard of all such promises in the past that were not fulfilled. The President must ensure that the promises he made are fulfilled.”
Akanji, however, appealed to Nigerians to remain hopeful and patient while providing support and opportunities for the leaders to fulfil their promises of good governance in the country.
He insisted that there was hope for Nigeria to overcome all the current challenges and emerge stronger.
The inter-denominational service, which had the wife of the President, Senator Oluremu Tinubu, also had the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, among other dignitaries.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, while reacting to the comments by Akanji, said the President’s speech was a message of hope.
He added that all measures have been put in place to bring into fruition the promises made by President Tinubu, while dismissing insinuations that most of the promises would not see the light of day, as with some administrations in the past.
He said Tinubu had done it in Lagos and would do it in the entire country.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said in her speech that her husband is not a magician but assured Nigerians that President Tinubu would fix all the damage done to Nigeria over the years.
She noted that the current administration would not resort to blame games but take concrete steps to address all the challenges, stressing, however, that her husband is not a magician to fix the issues in a day.
“All that we inherited are things that happened many years ago. We are not here to put blame on any administration but to fix what is damaged.
My husband is not a magician; he is going to work, and I believe that Nigerians will have it good with this administration. The best is yet to come,” she stated.
She noted that good governance could only be impactful if the example of Jesus is followed, saying Jesus Christ taught humanity about forgiveness when one is offended, and as a “nation, we need to forgive one another” for peaceful coexistence.
Tinubu urged Nigerians to keep their hope alive, insisting that there is no challenge or obstacle that cannot be surmounted.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, took the first scriptural reading from the Book of Jeremiah 30:18–22, while the second reading was taken by the President of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Monica Dongban-Mensem, from Romans 5:1–5.
Special prayers were also held for good governance, security, and healing of the country, as well as for ensuring the peaceful co-existence of the different ethnic groups and tribes in Nigeria.
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