Tunde Bakare: Nigeria on Brink of Collapse

Mary Nnah

In a powerful, thought-provoking address at the 2024 Wilson & Yinka Badejo Memorial Lecture, Dr. Tunde Bakare, Serving Overseer of Citadel Global Church and Convener of Save Nigeria Group, painted a grim picture of a nation on the verge of collapse.
While delivering his address on Wednesday, August 7th, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Lagos, the renowned keynote speaker warned that Nigeria is on the verge of collapse due to corruption, poverty, and violence.

With citizens taking to the streets to protest the realm of poverty and the outbreak of violent attacks in several states, Dr. Bakare warned that any attempt to address Nigeria’s problems without tackling the root causes of corruption, poverty, and violence would be a mere window dressing.
“We are at a crossroads,” Dr. Bakare declared. “Our nation is being ravaged by triple devils – corruption, poverty, and violence. Any attempt to address these problems without tackling their root causes is merely papering over the cracks.”
Bakare lambasted the government for its failure to address the country’s pressing issues, citing the recent deployment of the army to quell protests as a sign of deep flaws in the governance structure.

According to Bakare, “The situation suggests deep flaws in our governance structure, our national culture, and our security architecture.
“It reminds us not only of our militarized history but also that our systems are inadequate to meet the demands of domestic security; that our external defense mechanisms are over-stretched; that our intelligence apparatuses need rejigging, and that there is an urgent need to rethink our national peace, security, and stability frameworks.

“The fact that the government has had to mobilize the army to respond to citizens’ problems and protests indicates that there are fundamental issues to be addressed.”
“It suggests that our systems are inadequate to meet the demands of domestic security, that our external defense mechanisms are over-stretched, and that our intelligence apparatuses need rejigging.”
Bakare called for a return to the dialogue table, emphasising the need for Nigerians to come together to address the country’s problems.
“We must deal with the trust deficit that exists particularly between the people and the government,” he said – adding that, “While the average level of trust between institutions is 61%, the government is the lowest, with a trust rating of 29%.”

He further said: “We must revisit the very foundations of our nationhood and rebuild the systems and structures by which we are governed. We must find common ground around basic irreducible minimums, such as ensuring that no Nigerian goes to bed hungry, no child is left out of school, and every Nigerian has access to basic healthcare.”

The address was met with applause from the audience, who were left in no doubt about the gravity of Nigeria’s situation. As Dr. Bakare warned, “The time to revisit our nation’s foundation can no longer be prolonged. We must act now to save Nigeria from itself.”

With the country’s very foundation at stake, Dr. Bakare’s words served as a clarion call to action, urging Nigerians to put aside their differences and work towards a common goal of rebuilding the nation.
“We must meet at the dialogue table to address the root causes of our problems and find a way forward for our nation”, Bakare noted.