After his swearing in three weeks ago as President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his deputy, Vice President Kassim Shettima, have hit the ground running.
The president has been busy in the past weeks, suspending erring top government officials and signing into law policies that have made the government more popular.
But despite the impressive debut, there exist many Nigerians who do not agree that the Tinubu-led administration has earned their admiration and respect yet. They insist their preferred choice, Peter Obi, would be a much better president and are hoping that, in the coming weeks, the election tribunal would give him victory and hand over to him his ‘stolen mandate’.
One man who does not expect this would be as straightforward as Peter Obi’s followers think but believes the president can change things by healing and uniting the country, is the founder and Lead Pastor of Grace Nation Worldwide aka Liberation City, Dr. Chris Okafor.
In a chat with journalists at the church headquarters in Lagos, the cleric, when asked if he was pleased with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s performance so far, said, “I think so far, so good, he has done well.”
Okafor said: “Many Nigerians are already impressed with his performance. He has shown that he was prepared for the office. But there is still a whole lot he needs to do first before he can actually achieve most of the things he desires to achieve.
“I am not a politician but I do know that, considering the situation in the country right now, the first thing the president should focus on achieving is healing and uniting the country.
“If Tinubu does not unite the country and heal the wounds and pains inflicted on many by the perceived injustice done by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the presidential election, it may be difficult for him to get the support of most Nigerians, especially those who believe and still insist Peter Obi won that election.”
Speaking on what the President needs to do, the popular pastor said: “Well, if you ask me, and this is my personal opinion, not God speaking to me, I think the only logical thing to do at this time is to throw his doors open and embrace the Igbos. And one way to do that is by releasing Nnamdi Kanu. The guy has suffered enough. The President will bring joy to the hearts of many if he orders the immediate release of Kanu. This will show clearly that he wants to unite the country. And he can do the same for Sunday Igboho. Secure the release of Igboho and let him return to the country to be with his people.
“The President must allow the Igbos to feature prominently in his government. That, for me, is the logical thing to do if the president wants to prove that he is a just and fair president who is desirous of a truly united Nigeria. If he does this, this will certainly melt away a large chunk of the pain the Igbos feel right now and they may just start to have a rethink and say to themselves, maybe we should give this man the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps under his administration, the Igbo will finally have a voice and sense of belonging.”
When told that some schools of thought question why the Igbos should expect to play prominent roles in a government they voted massively against and whose leader they abused and denigrated before and after he became president, Okafor responded calmly, “but that is the beauty of democracy.
“That is why it is called democracy. Was the president expecting every Nigerian to vote for him? How can that be possible? That would have been ridiculous. And was he thinking every Nigerian likes him? He has been in politics for decades, I am sure he understands the terrain very well himself and probably wasn’t surprised at the sort of intense opposition he got from everywhere. And this is why I give him credit, only a courageous man would have survived what he survived.”
