Adejose Adesunloye

Final Part Understanding Public Frustration While Recognizing the Wrong Target: Pastor E.A. Adeboye Is Not Our Problem No, Pastor Adeboye is not our problem. He speaks. He spoke in the 1990s. He spoke in the early 2000s. He spoke in 2010. He spoke in 2020. He spoke in 2025. He has spoken across administrations, regardless of who governed or governs as President. The real question is: How many of us were listening? Did I hear you ask, “What did he say, and when?” I will share two of the most relevant examples- not only because they are factual, but because they embody the pathway forward for our beleaguered country, if we are finally ready to listen, act, and compel our government to lead the reforms Pastor Adeboye has long advocated. 1. November 2025 - A Direct Public Message to President Tinubu Contrary to the misinformation circulating online, Pastor Adeboye’s strong message was delivered in November 2025, during the Holy Ghost Service- not this week. He said: “You can only advise the Commander‑in‑Chief; you cannot command him. But I’ve tried. God is my witness.” “Tell our security chiefs to get rid of these terrorists within 90 days or resign.” He added: “They must eliminate the terrorists and their sponsors, no matter how influential.” These are not the words of a passive observer. These are the words of a citizen - an influential leader - demanding results, accountability, and consequences for failure. This is the same Pastor Adeboye some are attacking today. He issued one of the strongest public demands for accountability ever made by a Nigerian religious leader. But how many of us were listening? What did the President do with that message? And what did we do with it? 2. October 1, 2020 - A Public Call for Structural Reform At a national governance forum co‑organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and the Nehemiah Leadership Institute to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary, Pastor Adeboye critiqued our dysfunctional governance structure: “It is ridiculous that a traditional ruler must inform a local government chairman before he travels.” He went further: “We all know that we must restructure. It is either we restructure or we break. You don’t have to be a prophet to know that. Now, we don’t want to break up - God forbid.” He proposed a “United States of Nigeria” - a governance model with a President and a Prime Minister, rooted in institutional effectiveness. These are not the words of a man indifferent to Nigeria’s future. Nigeria is structurally dysfunctional. As presently constituted, cycles of elections without correcting the underlying structure will only degrade - but God forbid- collapse this country. Now that we know - from just two of his many significant public statements that Pastor Adeboye has long been speaking truth to power on the hydra-headed crises that cripple our nation‑building process, the real question becomes: What are we all now going to do about it? “Shall these bones live?” Like Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones, we stand in a moment of national reckoning. The bones can live - but only if we act. It is time for Nigerians to let the image of our 2‑year‑old baby held captive by our common enemies galvanize us to collectively rescue that child and through her rescue our nation. The answer, my compatriots, is in our own hands. Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili A Mother June 4, 2026 ✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾