BREAKING: ‘Instead Of Preaching Peace, You’re Sowing Seeds Of Discord’

Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (Rtd.), has stated that it is unfortunate that the presiding overseer of the Global Community Citadel Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, was using the period of Easter to sow discord.

Naija News reports that Pastor Bakare raised an alarm that the country, under President Bola Tinubu, is descending into tyranny and brazen abuse of power.

Bakare also pointed to the state of emergency declared in Rivers State by President Tinubu as a clear example of what he termed a “theatre of the absurd.”

He slammed both the President’s actions and the National Assembly, which he accused of endorsing the measure. According to Bakare, the National Assembly has become the “most spineless” in Nigeria’s history, allowing for the President’s actions to go unchecked.

In an interview with Punch, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Hector Igbikiowubo, said the Ibas-led administration would not be distracted by Bakare’s comment.

Igbikiowubo maintained that such remarks neither added value to the discussion nor helped the peace-building process in Rivers State.

He added that Pastor Bakara ought to use the Easter season to preach peace rather than using the opportunity to sow the seeds of discord and to foment trouble.

He stated, “The administration run by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) is focused and delivering on the mandate he has been given. Rivers State is going through trying times and we won’t be distracted by the commentary, albeit the vituperations of people who want two minutes of fame.

“I don’t know this pastor, seriously speaking. And the Rivers State Government will not dignify his vituperations with a response. I sincerely do not know him. You said he used to be a vice presidential candidate. So, obviously he didn’t win whatever platform he ran on. Nigeria is a country of over 230 million people. We have almost half of that number of faces. So, we have thousands of preachers.

“If someone leaves the message he should be delivering to the Christian faithful in this season of peace and tranquility, rather than preach peace and the need to heal or the need to come together and he is preaching distraction or trying to make himself the issue, we can’t help but ignore.

“How has he contributed to the peace building efforts in Rivers State with his commentary? Would he rather have the roof come down on all of our heads in Rivers State?

“Whatever affects Rivers State affects the country. Whatever affects the nose affects the eyes. What affects the eyes affects the ears. Rivers State occupies a very critical space in Nigeria’s body polity.

“So, the easiest thing to do is to sit on the fence and grandstand and pass commentary that adds no value. I urge the likes of Tunde Bakare and the people around him, people who should be influencing Christian faithful properly, to note that the Easter season presents all of us an opportunity, especially those who occupy the pulpit and positions of authority to preach peace, peaceful co-habitation amongst all.

“Now rather than do that he has seized the opportunity to sow the seeds of discord and to foment trouble. I sincerely hope that others will see this as a learning call and seize the opportunities as they may arise tomorrow to help initiate peace-building efforts.

“Tunde Bakare has not helped in this instance and I will not dignify his commentary with anything other than pointing this out.”