Headline
B’Olubadan Ba Ku Tani O Joye? Who is the Next King, If Olubadan Passes On?
Published
3 years agoon
By
EricBy Hon Femi Kehinde
This is Nigerian Broadcasting service – (B’olu badan ba ku ta ni o joye?) (who is the next king, if the Olubadan passes on); ojogede dudu inun takun (he eats an unripe plantain and suffers stomach discomfort); ko so ni gbese ni bi lo si le keji (there is no debtor here, go to the next house) and Eko je Ibadan lowo 130 (Lagos owes Ibadan 130 thousand pounds)” was the signature tune of the Radio Nigeria Broadcasting Service. This signature tune was the drumming ingenuity and creativity, since 1956, of no other person, than the drummer king, Oba John Adetoyese Laoye 1, Timi of Ede (December 1946 –May 16 1975). Radio services in the Western Region of Nigeria had been popularised by the Government of Obafemi Awolowo in 1955, when he brought redifussion boxes, for the listening pleasure, of the people of the Western Region. It was a repeater one channel radio broadcast signals which brought news, commentaries and general enter tainment programmes, for a paltry sum of five shillings at the end of every month, to every subscriber.
In displaying his drumming dexterity, Oba Timi, Adetoyese Laoye, never knew perhaps, that a day will come, when there would be succession brouhaha, after the demise of an Olubadan, sparkling off a succession crisis.
The Olubadan stool, has been the most fascinating royal succession, without rancour, in producing 41 Olubadans, since Ibadan came into being.
The establishment of Ibadan as a municipal, and then a regional power, began with the role of Bashorun Oluyole about the year 1836. This remarkably gifted warrior, led several successful military campaigns, among which was the final route of the Fulani army in Osogbo in 1840.
Olubadan title had been rotated interchangeably since then, between the Olubadan line (civil line) with 22 rungs of the ladder and the Balogun (military line) with 23 rungs of the ladder.
The ingenuity of these amazing creation, without rancour and Ruling houses, was so fascinating to the first Ibadan British Resident- Captain Roberts Lister Bower- (1893-1902), who as Ibadan’s first Ajele, commended these spectacular succession process and reported to the British authority of, and the need to recommend this model to other traditional cities in the Yoruba nation. The popular Bower’s tower, was erected in his honour, in December 1936, during the reign of Olubadan Abass Okunola Aleshinloye- (1930-1946.)
Bower’s successors, Captain Fuller (1897-1902), Captain W.A Ross, (1913 to 1931) and Captain Ward Price that succeeded him in 1931, all applauded these ingenious succession process of crowning Olubadan.
Ibadan from its early history has always been circumstantial and cosmopolitan.
It is undisputable that Ibadan has grown to become then, the third most populous city in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, it was hitherto, the most cosmopolitan city in Africa.
From ancient myth, comes a more striking account of Ibadan’s stupendous growth.
It is settled history that Lagelu, the Yoruba warlord and generalissimo was its founder around 1829. Lagelu upon his arrival in Ibadan, from Ile-Ife, had summoned a babalawo (Ifa Priest), about the future of Ibadan. Myth further added, that at the throwing of “Opele” – the sacred nuts, the Ifa priest called for a sacrifice of, amoung other items, 200 snails. When the snails were brought, the priest scattered them in various directions, saying- “creep on as far as you can and that is as far, as this town would also grow”! The snails according to the myth, travelled far and wide, in multiple directions and that is why Ibadan has been expanding ever since. Lagelu’s 200 snails have not stopped their crawling!
Ibadan is large. The promotional structure of Ibadan’s chieftaincy lineage is as follows:
EGBE AGBA EGBE BALOGUN
CIVIL LINE MILITARY LINE
1. OTUN OLUBADAN BALOGUN
2. OSI OLUBADAN OTUN BALOGUN
3. ASIPA OSI BALOGUN
4. EKERIN OLUBADAN ASIPA BALOGUN
5. EKARUN OLUBADAN EKERIN BALOGUN
6. ABESE EKARUN BALOGUN
7. MAYE ABESE
8. EKEFA OLUBADAN MAYE
9. AGBAAKIN EKEFA
10. AARE ALASA AGBAAKIN
11. IKOLABA AARE ALAASA
12. ASAAJU IKOLABA
13. AYINGUN ASAAJU
14. AARE AGO AARE AGO
15. LAGUNNA LAGUNNA
16. OOTA OOTA
17. AARE EGBE OMO AARE EGBE OMO
18. GBOONKA GBOONKA
19. AARE ONIBON AARE ONIBON
20. BADA BADA
21. AJIA AJIA
22. JAGUN JAGUN
The beneficiaries of these ingenious Olubadan succession process, by climbing up succession ladders respectively, that is, 22 from Olubadan line and 23 from Balogun line, were:
S/N NAME AND TITLE PERIOD NO OF YRS OF REIGN
- Lagelu C1820 N/A
2. Baale Maye 1820-1826 6
3. Baale Oluyedun 1826-1830 4
4. Baale Lakunle 1830-1835 5
5. Bashorun Oluyole 1835-1850 15
6. Baale Oderinlo 1850 1
7. Baale Olugbode 1851-1864 13
8. Baale Ibikunle 1864 1
9. Bashorun Ogunmola 1865-1867 2
10. Bale Akere 1 1867-1870 3
11. Bale Orowusi 1870-1871 1
12. Aare Latosa 1871-1885 14
13. Baale Oshungbekun 1885-1893 8
14. Baale Fijabi 1893-1895 2
15. Baale Oshuntoki 1895-1897 2
16. Baale Fajinmi 1897-1902 5
17. Baale Mosaderin 1902-1904 2
18. Baale Dada Opadare 1904-1907 3
19. Baale Sunmonu Apanpa 1907-1910 3
20. Baale Akintayo Elenpe 1910-1912 2
21. Baale Irefin 1912-1914 2
22. Baale Shittu 1914-1925 11
23. Baale Oyewole Foko 1925-1929 4
24.Olubadan Abasi Aleshinloye (1st to use the “Olubadan title”) 1930-1946 16 – longest reign so far
25. Olubadan Akere II 1946 1/3
26. Olubadan Oyetunde I 1946 1/12
27. Olubadan Bioku 1947-1948 1
28. Olubadan Fijabi II 1948-1952 4
29. Olubadan Alli Iwo 1952 ¼
30. Olubadan Apete 1952-1955 3
31. Olubadan Sir Isaac Babalola Akinyele 1955-1964 9
32. Olubadan Yesufu Kobiowu 1964 ½
33. Olubadan Salawu Aminu 1965-1971 6
34. Olubadan Shittu Oyetunde II 1971-1976 5
35. Olubadan Akanbi Adebimpe 1976-1977 1
36. Olubadan Daniel Akinbiyi 1977-1982 5
37. Olubadan Yesufu Asanike 1 1983-1993 10
38. Olubadan Adeyemo Operinde 1 1994-1999 5
39. Olubadan Yunusa Bankole Oladoja Ogundipe, Arapasowu 1 1999-2007 8
40. Olubadan Samuel Osundiran Odunlana, Odugade 1 2007-2016 9
41. Olubadan Saliu Adetunji Aje-Ogunguniso 4th March, 2016 till Jan 2, 2022
Oba Saliu Adetunji Aje-Ogunguniso I, ascended the throne of the Olubadn of Ibadan land on the 4th of March 2016 till the 2nd of January, 2022, when he bade the world farewell, at the University College Hospital and was buried the same day in accordance with Muslim rites.
He was born on the 25th of August, 1926. He had started life as a tailor and later established the Babalaje records in 1960. He was self trained and self taught. An Ibadan man, Senator Abiola Ajimobi was a governor, when he ascended the throne of the Olubadan of Ibadan land.
Uniquely, Ibadan Cheiftaincy stool rotation, respects the change of baton between the Olubadan and the Balogun line. Olubadan Oyewole Foko was Olubadan between 1925 and 1929 and was succeeded by Olubadan Aleshinloye, the longest standing Olubadan, who reigned between 1930 and 1946. Perhaps he had taken some slots out of his two successors- Olubadan- Akere and Olubadan Oyetunde, who both reigned briefly in 1946. In other words, in the year 1946, there were three Olubadans Alesinloye – Akere and Oyetunde.
Olubadan Bioku who succeeded Olubadan Oyetunde reigned briefly between 1947 and 1948. The year 1948 also had two Olubadans- Olubadan Bioku II, who reigned between 1948 and 1952. Briefly, Olubadan Ali Iwo, reigned in 1952, and was also succeeded by Olubadan Apete, who reigned till 1955. The great Ibadan Monarch, traditionalist, administrator and evangelist of the Christ Apostolic church- Oba Isaac Babalola Akinyele, reigned between 1955 and 1964. He was a non portfolio Minister in the Obafemi Awolowo Government, between 1955 and 1959 and was thickly involved in the Western Region Government crisis, through his mediatory efforts. He wrote the popular-“Iwe Itan Ibadan in 1911”. He reigned till 1964- and was succeeded by Oba Yusufu Kubiowu in July 1964-, a brief reign. Olubadan Kobiowu was the youngest reigning Olubadan as at the time of his ascension to the throne in July 1964. He came briefly and left briefly. He died in December, 1964.
Olubadan Salawu Akanni Aminu, succeded Kobiowu in 1965, he reigned in his Yemetu, Ibadan palace and died in 1971. He was succeeded by Olubadan Gbadamosi Akanbi Adebimbe who also reigned briefly, between 1976 and 1977., in his Eleta Palace.
The great Oba Daniel Tayo Akinbiyi, reigned between 1977 and 1982. D.T Akinbiyi was highly educated, having trained as a teacher, in the famous Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan, between 1916 and 1918. He was also involved in Ibadan local politics in 1925 and was a founding member of the Ibadan Progressive Union (IPU), that was formally inaugurated in 1930.Daniel Tayo Akinbiyi was a Customary Court judge and he was a Judge that almost jailed Adegoke Adelabu, who was arrested for contempt, for drumming right in front of the court room, while the court was in session. D.T Akinbiyi was an Action Group apologist, while Adegoke Adelabu was a strong NCNC Party Chieftain.
D.T was a successful business man and had a flourishing factory that produced Aerated waters named “Akinbiyi Exelsoir” otherwise known as “Oti Akinbiyi” and also a soap factory that he started in 1958. Mr. D.T Akinbiyi, later Oba D.T Akinbiyi (Olubadan), in an article in the Nigerian Tribune of December 22, 1951, whilst tolerating Adelabu’s “garrulity and insolence” admonished that an “an old hourse knows more than a young colt” which however did not diminish the fact, that Adegoke, was highly intelligent and dynamic.
D.T Akinbiyi started his chieftaincy career in 1946 as Mogaji of the Akinbiyi family and later took the title of Aare Onibon in 1953. He continued to climb the 22 chieftaincy steps by series of promotions, until he got the highest title of Otun Olubadan and became the traditional ruler of Ibadan in 1977.
He composed the famous “Ibadan ilu mi,” with music by the late Mr. F.J Adeyinka. This was the intimidating credential of the Olubadan who Asanike succeeded in 1983.
Olubadan Yesefu Oloyede Asanike, ascended the throne on the 4th of February, 1983 and died on the 24th of December, 1993. He was a king with humour, wit and sacarsm. He was the 37th Olubadan and descended from the Asanike family in Idi Aro Ibadan. As Olubadan, his formidable lieutenant- Otun, was Emmaqnuel Adeyemo Oparinde, who succeeded Asanike in 1994 and reigned till 1999. Adeyemo also had intimidating credentials. He was in the military in 1940 as a volunteer, to train the newly recruited army clerk at Kaduna, during the second World War and was appointed a liason officer for communications as a result of his ability to speak and understand Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Englsih Languages. He had served in Burma, India, Somalia and Malta and rose to the position of Staff Sergeant before his demobilisation in 1946, having rejected the offer to proceed to Sandhurst Military Academy in London.
After his demobilisation, he was seconded to the Ibadan Native Authority as treasurer in 1947. As the chancellor of the ex-chequer of the largest city in Africa’s south of the Sahara, he was Chief Adviser to the Native Authority and Olubadan-in-Council. He was also in 1956, the sole president of the Ibadan Customary Court at Oke-Are. He was also appointed the Minister for local government affairs in 1962, under the late Chief (Dr.) Moses Adekoyejo Majekodumi, then the Administrator of Western Region.
Adeyemo started the first chieftaincy steps in 1953 and rose steadily through the ranks, by scaling 22 rungs of promotion ladder in the Olubadan line of Chieftaincy hierarchy, that saw him to the coveted throne of the Olubadan of Ibadanland on the 14th of January, 1994.
Adeyemo, as Asanike’s deputy, was a formidable deputy and close ally. When Asanike became Olubadan in February 1983 at an advanced age, nobody ever thought that he would reign for ten years. He was frail, fragile and walked with extreme difficulty. But despite his advanced age, he was an Oba filled with wisdom, wit, humour, sacarsm and native intelligence. He had a deliberate melancholic and askance look. He also had an unsmiling face that was laced with dignified candour.
In the ten years of his reign as Olubadan, there were so many beer palour tales and stories, some unverifiable of Late Oba Asanike’s wit. There was a popular story of a cocktail party, organised by the then military governor of Oyo State that Olubadan Asanike attended in the company of Emmanuel Adeyemo, the Otun Olubadan. At the party, scotch egg was served. As his deputy, Adeyemo picked some scotch eggs. The late Asanike was said to have turned to Adeyemo remarking- “Deyemo, o ma fi Akara yi je tan, won ma ngbe eko bo?” Meaning- Adeyemo, do not finish the akara, they would soon bring the accompanying corn pap (eko)
Most times, he deliberately looked vacant, as if he would not see the next day. He would tell his Otun Olubadan “Deyemo, emi o ti se tan ati ku emi nin je Akara re” meaning “Deyemo, you will certainly die before me, because I am not ready to die now.” It was a hard and morbid humour. Adeyemo- Otun OluIbadan, was once engaged in a hearty discussion, with a visiting governor abd Asanike quickly looked at him and said,
“Deyemo, o so fun Gomina pe mi ni Olubadan ni?” meaning “Deyemo, didn’t you tell the governor that I am the Olubadan?”
However, in August, 2017, an unfortunate incident happened, that distorted Ibadan’s famous traditional succession pattern, without regards to Ibadan culture, tradition, mores and history. A sitting governor, like Louis XVI, who, at the height of his imperial madness had roared- “l’etat c’est moi!”, meaning- “I am the state, the state is me!” made history, by an executive fiat, through a gazette and in contravention of the Ibadan Chieftaincy declaration laws of 1957, made 9 Ibadan king makers, substantive kings, at a ceremony, on a Sunday morning in Mapo hall.
The aghast, bewildered and dumb founded reigning Ibadan monarch as consenting authority, was not let into the picture. It was done, mala fide, that is- in bad faith, without, his consent, knowledge and/or acquiescence. One of the king makers, the Osi Olubadan, refused to fall into this bait and apparently challenged this aberration in court and he won. To discerning minds, it was a jig saw puzzle that king makers became kings, in the life time of a reigning monarch!
King sunny Ade, the ace juju musician had sang it so beautifully in one of his records –
Oba ki pe meji l’afin
Ijoye le pe mefa l’afin
This incidence of 2017 has now raised a succession conundrum that only the sitting governor- Engr Seyi Makinde, can now unfurl. Timi Laoye’s drumming question, now becomes more apparent and real:
B’OLUBADAN BA KU TANI O JOYE?
Hon. (Barr.) Femi Kehinde is a Legal Practitioner and Former Member of the House of Representatives Representating Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State (1999-2003).
Related
You may like
Headline
How FG Spent N19bn on Presidential Planes in 15 Months – Report
Published
1 day agoon
November 12, 2024By
EricAt least N19.43 billion has reportedly been spent on the maintenance and operations of the Presidential Air Fleet from July 2023 to September 2024.
According to GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the Federal government’s spending, showed that for 2024, the payouts amounted to N13.55billion, representing 66 per cent of the allocations for the fleet in the 2024 fiscal year.
Most disbursements were labeled ‘Forex Transit Funds,’ typically funds allocated for foreign exchange requirements to facilitate international transactions and engagements.
In the context of the Presidential Air Fleet, such funds are used to cover expenses related to operations outside the country, including fuel purchases, maintenance or services in foreign currencies.
“When aircraft on the fleet are abroad, payments are often made in U.S. dollars or another foreign currency to ensure uninterrupted operations,” a government official explained.
In July 2023, N1.52bn was disbursed in two tranches of N846m and N675m for ‘Presidential air fleet forex transit funds.’
The following month, N3.1bn was disbursed in three tranches of N388m, N2bn, and N713m for the same item.
In November of that year, N1.26bn was released to the Presidential Air Fleet Naira transit account.
The first overhead for 2024 came in March, where N1.27bn were disbursed twice, amounting to N2.54bn. The transit account received N6.35bn in April, N4.97bn in May and N210m in July.
August saw the highest frequency of transactions, with N5.60bn released in six separate disbursements.
Although these transactions were not clearly labeled, the monies were paid into the Presidential Air Fleet naira transit account, including the N35m transfer made in September.
In late April, the transit account received N5.08bn; this came around the same time the President was on a two-nation tour to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.
Although Tinubu arrived in the Netherlands in a state-owned Gulfstream AeroSpace 550 Jet, the aircraft could not proceed to Saudi Arabia due to unspecified technical problems. He reportedly continued his journey on a chartered private plane.
At the time, the President’s Boeing 737 business jet was undergoing maintenance. It was later replaced with an Airbus A330 purchased for $100m in August through service-wide votes.
The nearly 15-year-old plane, an ACJ330-200, VP-CAC (MSN 1053), is “spacious and furnished with state-of-the-art avionics, customised interior and communications system,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga said, adding that it “will save Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly.”
The new Airbus A330 is just one of several aircraft currently on the Presidential Air Fleet, arguably one of Africa’s largest, with around 11 aircraft of various makes and models. Until August, it comprised the 19-year-old B737-700 and a 13-year-old Gulfstream Aerospace G550.
The BBJ was acquired during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at $43m but became a money guzzler as it aged.
Onanuga, defending the purchase of Airbus A330, argued that the new Airbus 330 aircraft and the costs of maintaining the air fleet were not for the president but in the interest of Nigerians.
“It’s not President Tinubu’s plane; it belongs to the people of Nigeria, it is our property…the President did not buy a new jet; what he has is a refurbished jet – it has been used by somebody else before he got it, but it is a much newer model than the one President Buhari used.
“The one President Buhari used was bought by President Obasanjo some 20 years ago. There was a time when the President went to Saudi Arabia, and the plane developed some problems. The President had to leave the Netherlands with a chartered jet.
“Nigerians should try to prioritise the safety of the President. I’m not sure anybody wishes our president to go and crash in the air. We want his safety so that he can hand it over to whoever wants to take over from him,” Onanuga said.
The presidential aide said he discussed with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on the faulty plane [Boeing 737 jet] and he said the maintenance costs were excessive because of the age of the aircraft, hence the need for another plane.
The presidential fixed-wing fleet includes a Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000, and a Challenger 605.
Three of the seven fixed-wings are reportedly unserviceable. Meanwhile, the rotor-wing fleet includes two Agusta 139s and two Agusta 101s, all operated by the Nigerian Air Force but supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Former President Buhari promised to reduce the number of aircraft in the PAF to the absolute necessary.
In April 2023, three jets were put up for sale, but there were no specifics on which.
However, efforts to sell one of the Dassault Falcon 7x and the Hawker 4000 in October 2016 stalled when a potential buyer reduced their initial offer from $24m to $11m.
Since 2017, budgetary allocations for the fleet have shown a growing trend, with one exception in 2020.
The allocation for the fleet increased from N4.37bn in 2017 to N20.52bn in 2024, showing a 370 per cent rise in running costs.
In 2018, the fleet’s budget rose significantly by 66.13 per cent to N7.26bn, driven by a substantial increase in capital project allocations while maintaining similar levels for recurrent costs. This upward trajectory continued into 2019, slightly increasing the total allocation to N7.30bn.
The exception came in 2020, when the budget dropped by nearly seven per cent to N6.79bn, primarily due to decreased overhead costs, a reflection of the global economic impacts of lockdowns and disruptions in operations.
By 2021, however, the budget surged dramatically to N12.55bn—a record increase of 84.83 per cent from the previous year.
In 2022, maintenance expenses for each aircraft ranged from $1.5m to $4.5m annually.
The 2022, 2023 and 2024 appropriation acts earmarked N12.48bn, N13.07bn and N20.52bn respectively.
On his way to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa, a foreign object damaged the cockpit windscreen of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s GulfStream aircraft during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.
According to Lee Aerospace, manufacturers of the Gulfstream, jet windshields consist of thick multilayered structures of varying layers of glass and transparent acrylic built to withstand collision with a 2kg object.
However, damage to the windshield must have affected its inner layers. While specific prices for replacement can vary based on supplier, labour rates and regional costs, estimates suggest that a single windshield replacement for a G550 can range from $50,000 to $70,000 for part and labour costs.
In an interview with our correspondent, the General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, Olumide Ohunayo, blamed the meteoric rise in the allocations for the PAF on the age of some of the aircraft in the fleet and declining value of the naira as well as the “commercial use” of aircraft by the Nigerian Air Force.
Ohunayo said, “The cost will definitely increase over the years because for one, this issue of the naira against the dollar. As the naira keeps falling to the dollar, we will see a rise in cost because most of the costs of training crew and engineers and replacing aircraft parts are all in dollars.
“Also, some of these aircraft are not new. The older the aircraft, the higher the cost of maintenance and operation.
“Lastly, during these past years, terrorism and insecurity have increased in Nigeria, which has also affected the cost of insuring the aircraft.”
For his part, the Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, argued that the administration’s spending habits were opposite to Nigerians’ expectations of frugality.
“What we are getting from this administration is opposite to our expectation. We thought we would have an administration that would be frugal in spending and very meticulous at implementing its budget.
“But what we are getting is an administration that has fallen in love with profligacy; that doesn’t see anything wrong in living big amid a poverty-stricken nation.
“It is a reenactment of the Shagari administration, whereby they bought the biggest Mercedes Benz and made themselves as comfortable as possible without considering how much the masses are suffering.
“So when you look at a Vice President saying he’s not travelling [to Samoa] again because there was a splinter on the windscreen of his private aircraft. Why should that be the case?
“First and foremost, we need to be represented at such an international meeting, where we should be well represented by the first two citizens of this country.
“He abandoned that, which means we would have lost certain representation that we deserve at that forum. Two, money will have been spent on advance parties that went ahead of the Vice President. But he abandoned the journey altogether.”
Related
Headline
Pastor Tunde Bakare: Celebrating a Visionary Preacher @70
Published
3 days agoon
November 10, 2024By
EricHe is visionary, blunt, articulate, passionate, fiery, evangelical, fearless, controversial and the newest septugenarian. He is the Founder and Presidng Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), formally known as the Latter Rain Assembly. He is Pastor Tunde Bakare.
A thought provoking preacher, social commentator, legal expert and politician, Tunde Bakare has come of age in the business called Nigeria.
Born on November 11, 1954, Pastor Bakare is regarded as not only a prophetic-apostolic pastor, but a social and economic image maker, whose contributions to the originality, truth and oneness of the nation cannot be overemphasized.
Originally a Muslim, who embraced the Christian faith in 1974 at the age of 20, Bakare has contributed his quota as a nation builder, seeking both the Vice president and president positions of the nation on two different occasions.
Pastor Bakare started his educational life at All Saints Primary School, Kemta, Abeokuta, and subsequently Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta, where he obtained both the School Leaving Certificate and the West Africa Examination Council certificate
After his secondary education, he was admitted into the University of Lagos where he studied Law between 1977 and 1980 before attending Law School in 1981, and was subsequently called to the Bar and following his time in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Bakare kickstarted his career when he started practicing law at the Gani Fawehinmi Chambers. His dexterity on the job propelled him to Rotimi Williams & Co., and later to Burke & Co., Solicitors.
In October 1984, he went solo, and established his own law firm, Tunde Bakare & Co. (El-Shaddai Chambers). Within the preceeding periods, he combined his legal duties with pastoral functions working as a legal adviser at the Deeper Life Bible Church, and later moving to the Redeemed Christian Church of God, where he became pastor and founded the Model Parish.
Following his time at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Bakare left to start the Latter Rain Assembly Church in 1989, known today aa CGCC, where he presently serves as the General Overseer. In addition to his time in the church, he zeroed into part time politics, serving as the running-mate to presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari in the 2011 presidential election. Bakare has been critical of Nigeria’s leadership and has sparked controversy with comments considered inflammatory regarding Muslims and other spiritual leaders.
Also in 2019, Bakare announced his intention to run for president of Nigeria following the end of Buhari’s second term with a total conviction that he has a direct mandate to do and will surely become the next president of Nigeria. He joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) but, lost at the primaries conducted at Eagle Square, Abuja, in May 2022. He launched his then political trajectory under the New Nigeria Progressive Movement.
While expressing his intentions to run for the 2023 presidential election towards becoming the next president of Nigeria to church members in 2019 when he was quoted as saying, “I will succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria; nothing can change it. I am number 16, and Buhari is number 15. I never said it to you before. I am saying it now, and nothing can change it. In the name of Jesus, he (Buhari) is number 15. I am number 16. To this end, I was born, and for this purpose, I came into the world. I have prepared you for this for more than 30 years.”
Bakare also presides over the Global Apostolic Impact Network (GAIN), a network of churches, ministries, and kingdom businesses committed to advancing the Kingdom of God on earth as well as the President of Latter Rain Ministries, Inc. (Church Development Center) in Atlanta, GA, USA, a ministry committed to restoring today’s church to the scriptural pattern. He was given a Doctor of Ministry degree by Indiana Christian University under the leadership of his mentor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, in 1996.
He also holds a yearly state of the nation address to set the stage for the future and review national issues of the year past.
In his 2019 address, he stated, “We can therefore confidently state that, over the past thirty years, we have faithfully executed our God-given mandate to the nation from this platform. Over the past thirty years, we have deployed appropriate tools for appropriate occasions, from prophetic declarations to confrontational advocacy and from political activism to propositional policy advisory. Over the past thirty years, we have done this consistently, sometimes at the risk of being misunderstood by friends and foes alike.
“We have been motivated not by wavering
opinions of men but by our unshakeable faith in our national destiny and an unalloyed commitment to seeing that destiny fulfilled.”
Reports have it that he was arrested in March 2002 after preaching sermons critical of Nigeria’s then-president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
No matter how it is viewed, and the direction of his controversies, one thing is obvious, Bakare has stood on the side of truth, hope, and justice, and has remained consistent over the years.
The Serving Overseer has been very vocal, his trademark, over the recent hardship in the country, condemning the politicians for preaching what they cannot practice.
He said Nigerian politicians were not living lean or sacrificing like the rest of the citizens whom they asked to sacrifice for the country by enduring economic hardship.
Bakare said this while delivering the keynote address with the theme: “Cultivating a Culture of Dialogue: Nurturing Understanding in a Culturally and Socially Diverse Nation” at Wilson and Yinka Badejo Memorial Lecture 2024.
He is a strong believer in the theory that the pen is mightier than the sword. He write in an essay of same title that:
“The likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kwame Nkrumah, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, armed with no other weapon, mobilised the Queen’s language in the struggle for independence from the Queen. They fought their battles through such media as West African Pilot, Accra Evening News and The Tribune. Decades after independence, when free, fair and credible elections were annulled, and a tyrannical dictatorship held sway, the Nigerian press took up the baton and contended against the sword of oppression by deploying the armoury of vocabulary. I am so glad that the labours of these pen warriors and all others who fought for the democracy we enjoy today have not been in vain after all.”
For seven decades, Pastor Bakare has remained a voice in Nigeria politics, religion and socio-economic circle, relating with with Nigerians according to where the matter lies.
On this occasion of your 70th Birthday, we celebrate your consistency, focus and leadership acumen that has affected the people positively.
Congratulations sir!
Related
Headline
US Polls: Tinubu, UK PM Starmer Congratulate Trump
Published
1 week agoon
November 6, 2024By
EricPresident Bola Tinubu has extended his heartfelt congratulations to President Donald Trump on his re-election as the 47th President of the United States of America.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday, said President Tinubu looks forward to strengthening the relations between Nigeria and the United States amid the complex challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world.
Donald Trump claimed victory on Wednesday and pledged to “heal” the country as results put him on the verge of beating Kamala Harris in a stunning White House comeback.
President Tinubu said: “Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens.”
According to President Tinubu, Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership. He congratulates them on their commitment to democracy.
President Tinubu believes that, given President Trump’s experience as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, his return to the White House as the 47th president will usher in an era of earnest, beneficial, and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States.
Acknowledging the United States’ influence, power, and position in determining the trend and course of global events, the Nigerian leader trusts that President Trump will bring the world closer to peace and prosperity.
Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has congratulated Donald Trump on his “historic election victory”, adding that the UK-US special relationship would “continue to prosper”.
“As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise. From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come,” he said.
Related
Balthasar Sex Scandal: Equatorial Guinea Govt Files Formal Charges
EFCC Chairman Dismisses Tinubu’s Power Sector As Corrupt
Henrietta Ugboh Becomes Independent Non- Executive Director As Owanari Duke Retires from UBA Board
Onnoghen, Free at Last
How FG Spent N19bn on Presidential Planes in 15 Months – Report
IGP Confirms Arrest of Police Officers Aiding Foreign Hackers
Wike Vows to Continue Demolition of ‘Shanties’ in FCT
Nigerian Engineer Wins $500m Contract to Build Monorail Network in Iraq
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Will Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Join Presidential Race?
World Exclusive: How Cabal, Corruption Stalled Mambilla Hydropower Project …The Abba Kyari, Fashola and Malami Connection Plus FG May Lose $2bn
Rehabilitation Comment: Sanwo-Olu’s Support Group Replies Ambode (Video)
Fashanu, Dolapo Awosika and Prophet Controversy: The Complete Story
Pendulum: Can Atiku Abubakar Defeat Muhammadu Buhari in 2019?
Pendulum: An Evening with Two Presidential Aspirants in Abuja
Who are the early favorites to win the NFL rushing title?
Boxing continues to knock itself out with bewildering, incorrect decisions
Steph Curry finally got the contract he deserves from the Warriors
Phillies’ Aaron Altherr makes mind-boggling barehanded play
The tremendous importance of owning a perfect piece of clothing
Trending
-
News6 years ago
Nigerian Engineer Wins $500m Contract to Build Monorail Network in Iraq
-
Featured7 years ago
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Will Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Join Presidential Race?
-
Boss Picks7 years ago
World Exclusive: How Cabal, Corruption Stalled Mambilla Hydropower Project …The Abba Kyari, Fashola and Malami Connection Plus FG May Lose $2bn
-
Headline6 years ago
Rehabilitation Comment: Sanwo-Olu’s Support Group Replies Ambode (Video)
-
Headline6 years ago
Fashanu, Dolapo Awosika and Prophet Controversy: The Complete Story
-
Headline6 years ago
Pendulum: Can Atiku Abubakar Defeat Muhammadu Buhari in 2019?
-
Headline6 years ago
Pendulum: An Evening with Two Presidential Aspirants in Abuja
-
Headline6 years ago
2019: Parties’ Presidential Candidates Emerge (View Full List)