Tunde Bakare Backs Jonathan On National Conference, Tackles Tinubu

Convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Tunde Bakare, has welcomed the proposed national conference with some level of caution but warned that if the nation does not talk before the next general elections, the country might cease to exist.

The pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly gave this remark at the launch and maiden lecture of the Centre for Change in Lagos on Tuesday, where he noted that Nigeria should be a model for not only Africa but the black race. Mr Bakare who is a stunch critic of President Goodluck Jonathan, subtly endorsed the planned conference at the event which had the theme; retriving the soul of a country in ruins.

The former Vice Presidential aspirant, who noted that the amalgamation of the country was not a mistake and that the things that unite the country and more than those dividing it, said "that is why we must all reason together when we have the chance to talk" adding that "and we must walk the talk

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Without mentioning his name, Pastor Bakare subtly criticised the national leader of the All Progressive Change (APC),Bola Tinubu, for his stance in opposing the planned national conference. Referring to the former governor of Lagos state, Pastor Bakare inferred that "those that have being campaigning for the national conference in the past are now campaigning against it because tables have turned and they have benefitted from the public treasury." "If we do not talk before the 2015 elections, we can just kiss Nigeria goodbye," the clergy predicted.

Mr. Tinubu has repeatedly expressed his objection to the national conference, describing it as a diversion and ill-timed, with about 15 months to the next elections. According to Mr. Bakare, "Nigerians have wept and prayed, marched and protested, the time has now come for us to take our destiny in our hand and we must get set to rebuild and reconstruct from region to region."