The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has come to the defence of President Bola Tinubu amid mounting criticism over Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, insisting the president had fulfilled his constitutional role by directing the military to act.
Speaking at the US-Nigeria Faith Heroes Award Gala organised by the Save Nigeria Group in Washington on June 23, Adeboye argued that those blaming Tinubu directly for the country’s security challenges were being unfair, given his role as commander-in-chief.
He said:
“I need to make this one clear: I don’t support those who are accusing the president of not doing enough. When the commander-in-chief has given instructions to his subordinates, he has done his bit. You don’t expect him to go and put on khaki and (fight).”
Drawing a comparison with the United States, he added:
“When my friend Trump gives instructions to go and bomb anywhere, he doesn’t leave the White House. He has done his bit. ‘I hereby command, bomb Iran’, and then he goes to his bedroom and sleeps. The rest is left to the supporters.”
Despite his defence of the president, Adeboye admitted that insecurity in the country had significantly worsened, even spreading to parts of southern Nigeria. Referring to the US bombing of Islamist terrorists last December, he said:
“Things have gone far, far worse than before the bomb came. Far, far worse… so bad that they are asking: ‘Where is your God?’ That is how bad it is. The terrorism, kidnapping, and so on that were in the north are now even at my doorstep. They have come all the way down to the south. And, of course, the sponsors, they are all known, and they are still moving about freely.”
The cleric revealed that he had personally discussed the security situation with President Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, urging the president to issue a firm directive to security chiefs.
According to him, he advised Tinubu to give military commanders a 90-day ultimatum to either eliminate terrorism or resign, stating:
“I told him to tell all the military boys, all the army, navy and air force: ‘You have 90 days. Wipe out this rubbish or resign.’ And then take care of the supporters, the sponsors.”
Adeboye further described the financiers of terrorism as influential and wealthy individuals, including politicians and businesspeople, insisting that confronting them directly was essential to ending the violence.
He said:
“You know them. Some of them are businessmen. Some of them are politicians. Go after them. Because if you do not deal with those who are supplying these people with arms and ammunition, and most of the time, when they go about, they go about on motorcycles, if we don’t go after the sponsors, the problem will continue.”
He also called on the United States to work with other nations in supporting Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
