Bakare Commends South-west Govs over Amotekun

The Serving Overseer, Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said the efforts of the South-west governors over the region’s security outfit, codenamed ‘Operation Amotekun’ were commendable.

Bakare also said the raging debate over Operation Amotekun is a reminder that Nigeria has yet to address its foundation issues.

In an address titled, “No amount of ringworm medicine can cure leprosy,” which he delivered in his church yesterday, Bakare said the debate on Operation Amotekun showed that the nation could not sweep the foundation issues under the carpet unaddressed or run away from them.

Rather, the cleric said the way forward for the nation was “to travel downwards to revisit the constitutional foundations.”

He said, “When one considers the argument for and against

Amotekun, one will find a recurring reference to the issues which we, as a nation, have failed to deal with in past decades.

“The proponents of Amotekun, particularly in the South, justify the move by referencing the Sharia police or Hisbah as a northern version of regional policing. The opponents, on the other hand, particularly from the North, express fears of possible regional political motivations.

“These are clear indications that the issues we swept under the carpet in past decades are still staring us in the face. We cannot continue to hide under the umbrella of one finger. It is time to address the underlying issues of nationhood and reset Nigeria on the path to predictable progress. No amount of ringworm medicine can cure leprosy.”

Bakare said while it was good that the South-west governors and the federal government had ironed out their differences over Operation Amotekun, the South-west states would do well to give legal backing to Operation Amotekun, by enacting the appropriate laws.