Save Nigeria Group (SNG) founder Pastor Tunde Bakare has described as unnecessary the huge wardrobe allowance for National Assembly members.
He also called on Nigerians to give President Muhammadu Buhari time to assess what he met on ground to be able to make sound decisions to take the nation forward.
Pastor Bakare spoke with our correspondent on Sunday shortly before declaring the annual convention of the Glory Christian Centre, Lagos with the theme One thousand times more opened.
He said: “I believe they were wearing clothes before they came in. Were they naked before they got there? Didn’t they have clothes in their wardrobes?
“Where are the likes of Papa Ajasin, former Governor of Ondo state, who declared his asset and said the number of clothes he took to the State House was the same number he came out with?
“Will our lawmakers be on a fashion parade? All those things should be cut off.
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“We have states that cannot pay salaries and they want to live fat at the expense of the masses. I believe that time will sort everything out.”
He confirmed he actually slumped while delivering a lecture during the Capital Investors dinner at the Eko Hotel and Suites on May 18, attributing the incident to “dehydration that produced exhaustion.”
The outspoken preacher said: “Yes, it’s true for about three minutes I slumped but within a few minutes I walked into my car. And they carried out all examinations here and even in England and they found nothing other than dehydration that produced exhaustion. I am on two litres of water per day with adequate rest.
“I had been living on tea. In 24 hours, they gave me seven drips. After that, I have been maintaining constant consumption of water.
“Any person in public glare should not lie about his health. That happened within three minutes and I thank God I bounced back. I made it because I still have an assignment.”
The senior pastor of Latter Rain Assembly Ogba, Lagos
urged Nigerians to give Buhari chance.
He said: “I think it is good to give the new government time to settle down and time to assess what they have inherited from the Jonathan’s government so that they can sit down and begin to put the Nigerian house in order. And it’s good to give them time.”
On why key appointments into the new administration were taking time, he said: “That will take its time. Remember the president told the nation that he did not get the handover note until May 28.
“So, his transition committee didn’t have anything to work with. Just a few days back, it handed over the report in 8,000 pages reduced to about 800 pages.
“It is when you have studied what was handed over to you that you begin to think of who to put where to help you.
“And I can assure you behind the scene, that a lot is going on in the engine room.”
He said the new faces of the current administration might start emerging before the end of June.
Affirming that Buhari will deliver on his promise to change the nation, the former Vice Presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), added: “You have heard that we will have a lean, as against an over bloated government. All these things will take time. You don’t do these things in a hurry.”
Asked if he will accept the offer of a ministerial appointment, the fiery preacher simply said: “I will cross that river when I get to the bridge.”(newsng.com)