Oritsejafor: I warned Nigerians before Buhari, current hardship didn’t start today

Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has said Nigeria’s current challenges did not start under President Bola Tinubu, recalling that he warned the country as far back as 2014 about the direction it was heading.

Oritsejafor, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said he foresaw trouble before the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari came into office in 2015.

According to him, the country has moved from one level of crisis to another since then.

“In 2014, I tried to warn this nation of the direction it was going, when the Buhari government was getting ready to come in, I knew that it was going to be a mess,” he said.

“From there, I don’t know what to call where we are now; it has grown worse.”

The former CAN president said his decision to speak out again was informed by the hardship facing Nigerians and the need to hold leaders accountable.

He said, “It has gotten to a point where I feel I have to say something, I must begin to say something because I pastor people, they are human beings, Nigerians, and we must begin to hold people accountable for what is happening.”

Oritsejafor also explained why he had stayed away from public political commentary for years, saying repeated warnings to Nigerians were ignored.

“I kept quiet because sometimes when you talk to people, when you try to make them understand that what is happening, and what’s going to happen, is going to be terrible, and you try, and try and then no one seems to be listening, the best thing is to withdraw,” he said.

“You can’t force people to listen to you, you can’t force people to take your advice, you can’t force people to follow what you’re saying.”

The cleric said he had continued to watch developments in the country from the sidelines until he decided that the time had come for him to speak again.

“So I decided to step aside, but, like I said, I’ve watched the events, just from one level to another until we got to where we are now, and I think this is the time for me to begin to say something,” he added.

Oritsejafor, however, said the average Nigerian was struggling with hope under the present economic situation.

“The average Nigerian today has no hope, except if you say you look up to God to give you hope,” he said.

He added that President Tinubu would have to decide whether to seek another term in 2027, but warned that Nigerians would expect a clear change in the country’s direction before then.

“So, I would leave President Tinubu to make that choice himself. One thing I can say categorically is, look, don’t begin to dream of coming back to continue this same mess,” he said.