Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has criticized Nigeria’s current leadership, arguing that many politicians who fiercely condemned former President Goodluck Jonathan are now in power but have failed to improve the country’s situation.
Truth Live News Media reports that speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Oritsejafor defended Jonathan’s administration and questioned the motives of those who labeled the former president “clueless” while he was in office.
“Where are those people now? Are they not the same people today who are in power?
“They called him clueless, yet they would not allow him to implement the policies he believed were necessary.
“They organized protests against him across the country, especially in Lagos”, Oritsejafor said.
According to the cleric, many of those who championed the protests against Jonathan now occupy key positions in government.
“The people who sponsored those protests and drove those campaigns are largely the same people in power today. They claimed to have the solutions, but look at where Nigeria is now,” he said.
When asked whether he regretted supporting Jonathan during the 2015 presidential election, Oritsejafor was unequivocal.
“No, I don’t,” he replied.
The former CAN president also delivered a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, claiming that Nigeria’s economic hardship and security challenges have worsened under the current government.
“The government of Tinubu has done more harm to this nation than we have ever experienced,” he stated.
Although he stopped short of demanding Tinubu’s resignation, Oritsejafor urged the president to be realistic about his capacity to tackle the nation’s growing problems.
“I will not sit here and tell him to resign. But I will say this: don’t pretend to know what to do when you don’t. Don’t pretend you can rescue Nigeria from its current state if you know you cannot,” he said.
He further criticized the administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, arguing that many Nigerians are yet to experience any meaningful improvement in their living conditions.
“The average Nigerian today has no hope, except the hope that comes from God,” he remarked.
Oritsejafor also advised Tinubu against pursuing a second term in office.
“Don’t begin to dream of coming back to continue this same mess,” he said.
