President of the latter Rain Ministries, Inc, Pastor Tunde Bakare, a very handsome and outspoken man, had, in a video that went viral , told his Congregation and indeed , the world, that, the Igbo , cannot be President of Nigeria because, they were cursed by Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s Prime Minister in the first Republic.
Pastor Bakare went further to say that, “When Balewa was killed in the 1966 Coup, supposedly by Igbo officers, they poured alcohol into his mouth, thereupon the dying man laid a curse upon them that an Igbo man, would never get on the throne in Nigeria”.
The military Coup, in which Balewa and some other leaders and officers, across the ethnic groups in the Country, lost their lives happened on January 15, 1966.
Pastor Bakare was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on November 11, 1954. He was born a Muslim. And was converted to Christianity in 1974. He married in 1984.
Born in 1954. Defected from Moslem to Christianity in 1974. Married in 1984. He could be said to be in love with the figure 4. Yet, that is not the issue or the concern.
With his date of birth, he was only twelve years old when the January 15, 1966 military Coup took place.
From 1966 to 2022, has Fifty Six years difference. That was when Pastor Bakare had chosen to speak on the January 15, 1966 Coup. An incident that took place when he was just twelve years old.
So, whatever he had said recently about the military action, and those who lost their lives in the incident, was expected to come from a source, since he was not part of the Coup. And was too tender to have consciously followed all that happened.
That was the reason, his narrative or version of the incident had raised dust or eyebrows.
If another person had come up with such provoking, divisive, troublesome and unfounded claims, the person would have either been accused of taking “mkpuru miri” or involved in necromancy or being mischief. Patriotism, would be far from it.
But Bakare is a man of God. We cannot “de-ordain” someone we never ordained. At least, for the sake of the Kingdom. That is to say, let us not accuse him of “Mkpuru Miri” consumption or engaging in necromancy or mischief. Obviously too, he wasn’t patriotic with his outing.
The belief is that, when one takes mkpuru miri, he would begin to talk from both sides of his mouth. He would begin to have diarrhea of the mouth. He would begin to say the things he would not have said under normal situation.
For necromancy, when someone begins to say what he claimed was said by a man or woman who died 56 years ago and when he was only twelve years old, and without quoting a verifiable source, the tendency is that the person must have gotten what he said through the practice of necromancy. The practice of communicating with the dead.
The person becomes a necromancer. Someone who communicates with the dead. The person can also involve in necrophilia, which is the act of having sexual interest in dead bodies. Necropsy is an official examination of a dead body. Yet, Pastor Bakare is a messenger of God and cannot be involved in all these. That should be our popular belief.
We won’t also accuse him of mischief. But the truth of the matter is that, he threw caution to the wind, especially when his account contradicted all the accounts of those who took part in the 1966 Coup and those who had witnessed or followed the event, as it happened.
Interestingly, some of the officers who participated in the 1966 Coup and survived, had written on it. And those who didn’t participate, but were privileged to be in positions to know what transpired, both Military personnel and Civilians had also written on the issue.
Known writers within and outside Nigeria, who knew what happened, had equally written on the Coup. None of them had Bakare’s version.
The account has remained that five majors led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu carried out the Coup. Nzeogwu was from Delta State.
One of the five majors who survived, both the coup and the civil war, was Major Adewale Ademoyega, a Yoruba born officer and not Igbo.
He gave vivid account of the Coup as one of the five majors who planned and executed the Coup.
He wrote, “WHY WE STRUCK- THE STORY OF THE FIRST NIGERIA COUP”.
And from chapter one of the book to Chapter ten, the last Chapter, he never said anything close to Bakare’s narrative or assertions .
In response to Major Ademoyega’s “Why WE STRUCK”, one of the best brains in the North, A.M. Mainasara , wrote 59 – page book, with the title “THE FIVE MAJORS – WHY THEY STRUCK”.
From the Dedication page to the Epilogue page, he never had Bakare’s latest account or narrative.
Another interesting and detailed book on the 1966 Coup, was written by another officer, who took part in the Coup, but not a Major, Col. Ben Gbulie.
He titled his own book on the 1966 Coup, “NIGERIA’S FIVE MAJORS: COUP DETAT OF 15TH JANUARY 1966, FIRST INSIDE ACCOUNT”.
In the 165 – page book, Gbulie never wrote anything close to Bakare’s claims. We are talking about those who took part in the Coup or who knew what happened and not a 12-year old boy then, and now, 68- year old Pastor Tunde Bakare.
Another writer, who claimed to have close relationship with both Tafawa Balewa and Sir Ahmadu Bello, was D.J.M. Muffett.
Muffet titled his own book on the Coup, “LET TRUTH BE TOLD: THE COUPS D’ETAT OF 1966”.
The Six chapter book has 183 – pages. The narratives of Bakare could not be found in the book, either in part or in whole.
Other interesting books on the coup and what it gave birth to, include , “THE NIGERIAN REVOLUTION AND THE BIAFRAN WAR ”, by Alexander Madiebo; “THE 13 YEARS OF MILITARY RULE, 1966 – 79 “by Daily Times of Nigeria Limited; Olusegun Obasanjo’s “NZEOGWU”;
Nelson Otta’s, “REBELS AGAINST REBELS”: Arthur .A. Nwankwo’s, “NIGERIA: THE CHALLENGE OF BIAFRA”: Emeka Ojukwu’s “BECAUSE I AM INVOLVED”; “THE MAKING OF AN AFFRICAN LEGEND: THE BIAFRA STORY” by Frederick Forsyth:
Achike Udenwa’s “NIGERIA/BIAFRA CIVIL WAR”, etal, were books written on the 1966 Coup and its aftermath, the Civil War that lasted for 3 years and none said anything close to Bakare’s Version.
Not even in form of innuendoes or insinuations.
So, how and where did Pastor Bakare get what he said?. And obviously, he would not have been under the influence of the Holy Spirit or anointing when he made those damaging statements.
The most likely reason behind Bakare’s story, like some people had already said, was the 2023 Presidency. That could be or should be or would be his target.
He was on a mission to circuit or cut the Igbo off from the 2023 Presidency . He was out to lower the pole of the Igbo demand for the Presidency of the Country in 2023. He was out to incite the North against the Igbos. He was out to demoralize Ndigbo. Onu na ulo na onu nama. Home and abroad. At home and in diaspora.
Some people had also said, he was paid. That could not be true. He is one of the most comfortable priests in the land. Richer than most of the major politicians in the Country, with the bulk of the wealth coming from the Igbos who worship in his “one-man ownership” Church.
Few days after his bombshell, he unveiled his ambition to run for the 2023 Presidency.
Two things are likely to be the imports of his recent declaration to contest the 2023 Presidency , days after his worrisome claims . Either, he wanted to curry support from the North or distract the public, from further talking about his untenable, unverifiable and nauseating outing.
Yet, let us not touch the anointed. Let us also not do the prophet no harm, since he is not among the prophets of Baal. We can only ask him and politely too, that he should go for fresh oil. Fresh anointing.
The anointing that brakes the yokes of hatred and mischief. The yoke of hate speech or hate sermon.
Even if his story was to be true, it was not a Pastor of his class, that should say that from the ALTAR . From the pulpit. And knowing how expensive those claims could be. What he said could set the nation on fire. It could ignite maltreatments of the Igbos up there. But Nigerians know that his account was not correct.
They ignored him. His fictitious account could not fly. Somewhat still .
Seek peace, pursue peace. But Pastor Bakare had promoted, sought and pursued hatred or division or rancor with his false story on a “Sabbath day”.
One thing is also certain, Igbo will become the President of this Country. Either in 2023 and after.
Bakare’s story, as unguarded as it was and as false as it was, we ask God to forgive him.
After the war, the Igbos, with nothing, began life from the scratch and also overtook. Do you understand?. I am soliloquizing here. At times, you murmur or stammer, out of patriotism.
People under a curse, would not have achieved prosperity or greatness shortly after the Civil War.
With developments so far and looking at those who had been president of the country, one could conclude that, being president of Nigeria is neither a means to an end nor an end itself. The reason, we shall Continue to Clap for Jesus.
