Pastor Tunde Bakare Blast Obasanjo; You destroyed student Unionism

 

Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly has blamed Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo for the sorry state of student unionism in the country today.

Pastor Tunde Bakare made this known on Monday at while delivering a paper titled: “Good Governance: Sustainability of Democracy, the Role of Students in the Forthcoming General Election,” in Abeokuta, the Ogun State to mark the Students International Day

Pastor Bakare, the Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, SNG stated how President Obasanjo when he was military head of state carved his name on marble as a villain of democracy in 1978, Premium Times report.

“General Olusegun Obasanjo’s government ordered the brutal suppression of that protest. Live bullets were unleashed on protesting students,” he said.

“As we proceeded outside University of Lagos main gate, I narrowly escaped death as Akintunde Ojo, the young man standing just beside me, was gunned down. Through that incident, Obasanjo carved his name on marble as a villain of democracy.”

“I did not mince words when opportunity presented itself in November of 1978 when I pointed to his face and said this government possesses power without compassion, might without morality and strength without sight”.

Meanwhile Pastor Bakare who attributed the hijacking of students unionism by those he described as “never do wells” said:

“Nevertheless, student unionism in Nigeria today is in a sorry state. Not only has it fallen from its pinnacle of intellectual doggedness and ideological astuteness, it has lost its activist steam and has become a mere appendage of ruling political parties and a tool in the hands of corrupt politicians.”

‘The apotheosis of the perfidious degeneration of student unionism occurred in 2005 when NANS decorated General Obasanjo as a ‘Defender of Democracy’; yes the same Obasanjo who masterminded the brutal repression of unarmed students who were merely registering their displeasure over hike in fees.”

“In essence, Obasanjo killed student unionism in Nigeria. As a military Head of State, he killed NUNS by brutal repression and proscription. When Obasanjo returned as civilian president, he killed NANS and made it a shadow of itself, doing so this time by corrupting the body,” Pastor Bakare said.

He urged the student body to return to those glory days saying:

“Then you must rid yourselves of cultism and other self-destructive tendencies and take back student unionism from hoodlums and charlatans”.

“You must restore student unionism to its glory days. After undergoing such rebirth, the student union must become a shining light to the dark polity.”

Meanwhile it has been reported that Pastor Tunde Bakare has accused former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo of being responsible for the problems Nigeria is facing.