Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili has defended the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Enoch Adeboye, against accusations that he has not spoken on Nigeria's pressing challenges. In a statement shared on social media on Thursday, Ezekwesili asserted that Adeboye has consistently addressed issues of insecurity, governance and restructuring across multiple administrations. She listed public interventions dating back to the 1990s, including remarks in 2025 during a Holy Ghost Service where Adeboye reportedly urged President Bola Tinubu's government to act decisively against terrorism. "Tell our security chiefs to get rid of these terrorists within 90 days or resign," Ezekwesili quoted him as saying. He also called for the removal of sponsors of terrorism, regardless of their status or influence.
Ezekwesili referenced a governance forum on October 1, 2游戏副本020, jointly organised by the RCCG and the Nehemiah Leadership Institute to mark Nigeria's 60th Independence Anniversary. At the event, Adeboye reportedly criticised elements of the country's governance structure, citing the need for restructuring. "It is ridiculous that a traditional ruler must inform a local government chairman before he travels," he was quoted as saying. He warned that Nigeria faced disintegration without urgent structural reforms. "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," Adeboye added. Ezekwesili maintained that the issue is not whether Adeboye has spoken, but whether Nigerians have heeded his messages. She urged citizens to focus on collective action and accountability rather than questioning whether prominent figures have voiced concerns. Her statement concluded with a call for unity in confronting national challenges and advancing reform.
Oby Ezekwesili defends Enoch Adeboye's record of speaking on governance while acknowledging his influence is limited to moral appeals, not executive action. If Adeboye has been issuing the same warnings since the 1990s and insecurity remains unresolved, it raises questions about the impact of repeated sermons without enforceable consequences. Nigerians who expected decisive change from spiritual admonitions may now realise that calls for 90-day security fixes do not substitute for state capacity. The persistence of crisis despite decades of preaching suggests that moral authority alone cannot restructure a broken system.
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