Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, Pastor Tunde Bakare, former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dino Melaye, and former Minister of the FCT, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, made the call on Monday at a second State of the Nation Lecture organised by SNG in Lagos.
Bakare noted that the protest must be a revolution where protesters
would demand justice in religious institutions as well as from serving
and retired leaders.
He said, "Revolution must begin. Democracy is preceded by revolution and then development comes. It must begin with you, it must begin with me. All general overseers including myself must go to jail and by the time we are out, Nigeria will be better. I think December is too late for it and January is too far."
He regretted that many religious leaders control millions of people without impacting on them positively. According to him, people have asked him at various times about his role in protests; and why as a pastor he cannot pray for the country and stay out of the political arena.
Bakare added that he could not be quiet and watch the nation taken over by "godless and evil traducers, who, if allowed to continue to carry out their monkeyshines would not only destroy the country’s political fabric, but also obliterate her soul.”
Also, Melaye urged the citizens to wake up and ensure that the country occupied her rightful place. "Refuse to listen to those criticising you. They are commercialised characters who have monetised their calling," he said.
El-Rufai said the elite’s belief that they could use money to buy themselves comfort in a nation with myriad of problems would not work. He called on the people to demand justice and ask salient questions from the leaders.
An Associate Professor of Literature and African Studies, Pius Adesanmi,
on the occasion, also spoke on ‘Reparations: What Nigeria owes the
Tortoise’.
