Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, has faced backlash for his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s approach to palliatives in relation to the fuel subsidy. Bakare’s remarks came under scrutiny from Ajibola Basiru, the APC national secretary.
In a recent national broadcast addressing the country’s state of affairs, Bakare questioned some of President Tinubu’s economic decisions, including the rollout of palliatives aimed at mitigating the impact of fuel subsidy removal on poor Nigerians. Bakare expressed that palliatives alone couldn’t address the underlying issues causing the problems.
However, Basiru expressed skepticism about Bakare’s competence in making such observations. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program, Basiru acknowledged the challenging circumstances faced by Nigerians but remained optimistic about the economy’s prospects.
Basiru emphasized that while discussions about palliatives are essential, they don’t imply neglecting the crucial task of rectifying economic dysfunctions and imbalances. He clarified that the ruling party, APC, is actively addressing both immediate palliative measures and fundamental economic problems.
“I would like to address Pastor Bakare’s statement, although I don’t consider him a politician and, with all due respect, I don’t believe he is competent to make the remarks he has made,” Basiru stated.
“The fact that we are discussing palliatives doesn’t mean we are ignoring the necessity of addressing the deeper dysfunctions and imbalances in the economy. We are simultaneously addressing the issue of palliatives as a short-term measure while also tackling the fundamental problems,” Basiru added.
