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Top pastor blasts Tinubu
The founder and senior pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying Nigeria has deteriorated further since the president assumed office in May 2023.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, the former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said he had initially refrained from commenting on national issues but felt compelled to speak out because of the worsening conditions facing Nigerians.
According to Oritsejafor, the country is in a more difficult situation than it was under the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who handed over power to Tinubu on May 29, 2023.
“I intentionally stayed away because in 2014, I tried to warn this nation of the direction it was going. When the Buhari government was getting ready to take office, I knew it was going to be a mess. And I think from there, I don’t know what to call where we are now, but it has gotten worse,” he said.
The cleric said his decision to speak was motivated by his responsibility as a pastor and concern for Nigerians grappling with economic hardship, insecurity and other challenges.
“It has gotten to a point where I feel I have to say something. I pastor people. They are human beings. They are Nigerians. And we must begin to hold people accountable for what is happening,” he added.
Oritsejafor, who was a prominent supporter of former President Goodluck Jonathan, also revisited his longstanding criticism of the Buhari administration, accusing it of promoting religious exclusion.
The former CAN president said he remained dissatisfied with the late president’s handling of religious issues and argued that the presence of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a Christian, in the administration did not alter his assessment of Buhari’s leadership.
“I hold grudges against them because they are ready to take their faith to any level. The fact that a Christian was his vice doesn’t change who he was,” Oritsejafor said.
Referring to remarks he claimed Buhari made in a recording related to events in Jos, Plateau State, the cleric described some of the statements as disturbing and accused the former president of exhibiting tendencies he characterised as extremist.
He further questioned Osinbajo’s influence and contributions while serving as vice president.
“You can be a jihadist in so many different ways. It’s not just those who carry a gun. You can be a jihadist by doing everything to make sure nobody else, no other religion, has any place in the governance or in the progress of a nation. You talked about Professor Yemi Osinbajo. What was his role? What was he really doing?” he asked.
Oritsejafor was one of Nigeria’s most influential religious leaders during the administrations of former Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan. As president of both CAN and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), he frequently commented on governance, security and national affairs.
His political influence declined following Jonathan’s defeat in the 2015 presidential election and his departure from CAN leadership in 2016.
The cleric’s latest remarks mark a rare return to political commentary and come amid growing concerns over insecurity, kidnappings, economic hardship and attacks on Christian communities in parts of the country.
Oritsejafor recently returned to public attention after revealing that he survived cancer and a life-threatening infection. He disclosed that he spent several months in the United States undergoing treatment and recovering from the illness, although he did not specify the type of cancer he battled.