“Recession self-inflicted Oil boom fell into hands of unprepared leadership present government inherited a economy in dire straits” – Pastor Tunde Bakare

Once President Muhammadu Buhari’s vice presidential candidate at the 2011 election, Pastor Tunde Bakare expressed his opinion on economic policies.

Speaking in Abuja at a lecturer at the 14th year anniversary of the Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Abuja on the topic: “Church and economic recession”, Mr Bakare said the recession currently experienced in Nigeria “is an opportunity for the church to take responsibility for the destiny of Nigeria”.

Dangote sacks 36 expatriate and 12 Nigerian workers as Dansa foods shutdown “In the past 18 months, attempts at salvaging the economy have not yielded lasting results.

While the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrunk by 0.36 percent as at the first quarter of 2016, production dipped by 2.06 percent as at the second quarter. Evidently, Nigeria’s recession is largely self-inflicted and could have been avoided,” the pastor was quoted by Sun. He recalled that price of oil peaked at $145 per barrel around 2008 and, after a brief fall, rose and, subsequently, hovered around $100 until December 2014, when it began to crash. But, the biggest oil boom experience, he said, fell into the hands of an unprepared leadership.

“Hence, with our revenue unaccounted for in the preceding boom era, and with reported massive looting through oil subsidies and diverted defence budgetsMr Bakare who is the convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG) said he never regretted occupying the street in January, 2012, following the fuel subsidy removal by former President Goodluck Jonathan

“I have no single regret about my action in 2012. If I have another opportunity, I will do it again. Save Nigeria Group (SNG) campaign was not about fuel subsidy, but against corruption. We insisted on ‘kill corruption and not Nigeria’.

It was corruption in that government that we fought. “We simply made the then government to understand that sovereignty belongs to the people and we demonstrated it through our actions. And we will do it again and again if time demands for it,” he said. Meanwhile, Niger Delta Avengers says it will resume bombing of oil facilities if government made any further mistake to enter into negotiation with selfish leaders in the region.