Oritsejafor says Nigeria is worse under Tinubu

The founder and senior pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, Ayo Oritsejafor, has shared his thoughts on President Bola Tinubu’s government since it took over in 2023.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday night, he said that the country has gotten worse under Mr Tinubu than it was under the late Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari handed over power to Tinubu on 29 May 2023.

Oritsejafor, who used to be the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), also reminded Nigerians that he warned them against voting for Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

His criticism of Tinubu comes at a time when insecurity, kidnappings, economic struggles, and attacks on Christian communities are rising in the country.

He said, “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.

“And it has gotten to a point where I feel I have to say something. I must begin by saying something because I pastor people. They are human beings. They are Nigerians. And we must begin to hold people accountable for what is happening.”

Oritsejafor, who supported former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the way Buhari’s government treated his faith made him resentful towards that administration.

He also said that Yemi Osinbajo’s time as vice president under Buhari did not change his true character.

“I hold grudges against them (Buhari government) because they are ready to take their faith to any level…the fact that a Christian was his (Buhari) vice doesn’t change who he was. I listened to a tape by one gentleman about something that happened in Jos, and some of the things he (Buhari) was saying in that tape were frightening to me.

“I mean, it got to the point where he was even crying and weeping and telling the people that they must not allow Christians to do this or do that, you know, and when I say jihadist, look, a jihadist is an extremist. When I say a jihadist, look, you can be a jihadist with your pen,” Oritsejafor explained.

He also questioned Osinbajo’s effectiveness as vice president under Buhari.

“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?”

Oritsejafor is no stranger to political issues. He used to be the president of CAN and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). He was a strong religious voice during the administrations of Umaru Yar’Adua and Jonathan.

He later became a well-known supporter of Jonathan, often commenting on governance, security, and national issues. In 2014, he faced backlash after a private jet linked to him was stopped in South Africa over cash transportation allegations.

Though he denied any wrongdoing and was never charged, the incident led to more criticism from those who felt he was too close to Jonathan’s government.

Once seen as one of the country’s most influential clerics, Oritsejafor’s political influence faded after Jonathan lost in 2015 and he stepped down from CAN leadership in 2016.

His latest comments about Buhari and Tinubu show a return to the political discussions that made him a well-known and controversial religious figure in Nigeria.

The clergyman last made news when he revealed that he battled and overcame cancer and a serious, unknown infection.