Cleric says Nigeria has yet to achieve genuine independence, calls for restructuring
LAGOS — The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has criticised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, arguing that Nigerians have yet to experience what he described as genuine independence because of persistent economic and governance challenges.
Ayodele made the remarks in a statement issued on Sunday, October 4, 2026, through his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, as Nigerians continued to reflect on the country’s independence and its political and socioeconomic development.
The cleric described Nigeria’s present condition as an “independence of stagnancy and hunger” and accused the government of spending too much time highlighting problems instead of providing solutions.
According to Ayodele, President Tinubu is not competent to lead the country, a conclusion that represents the cleric’s political assessment rather than an independently established fact.
He also criticised the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, describing it as “bondage” rather than an expression of freedom and arguing that Nigeria requires political restructuring to achieve what he considers true independence.
“There is no freedom in whatever we are doing; a Muslim-Muslim ticket is no independence, it’s bondage,” Ayodele was quoted as saying.
He argued that restructuring should form part of efforts to address challenges relating to infrastructure, healthcare, the economy and other areas of national development, while claiming that the Federal Government was not prepared to engage in the conversation.
The cleric further accused the government of being selfish and poorly organised, saying its policies had failed to provide adequate direction for younger Nigerians.
Ayodele also argued that prayers alone could not resolve Nigeria’s problems without changes in leadership and governance.
“There is no amount of prayers that can help us if we have bad leadership,” he said, adding that Nigeria’s independence had been “commercialised and sabotaged” and that the country lacked sufficient plans for the younger generation.
His comments come amid continuing national debates over the performance of the Tinubu administration, the structure of Nigeria’s federation, religious representation in political leadership and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The remarks are the cleric’s assessment of the country’s political situation and should be understood as opinion rather than an independent determination of the administration’s performance.
