President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday received in audience the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, in Lagos.

Bakare’s visit to Tinubu was revealed in a post on X by the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

A former presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, Bakare had in April criticised Tinubu, saying that he is steering Nigeria in the wrong direction.

He decried the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government under Tinubu, asking the Nigerian leader to “stop playing God”.

“To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under whose brand of politics the institution of legislative oversight is collapsing and our democracy is faced with an existential threat, I say: Mr. President, Nigeria is too delicate for this kind of politics,” the preacher said.

“If this state capture was what you meant by emi lo kan, it is an anti-climax that can only be counterproductive in the end. I urge you, Mr. President, to think deeply and reflect on these words: ‘No man is wise enough nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power.’ Please, stop playing God!”

“Mr. President, it is through your influence that the Nigerian National Assembly has become a haven for legislative rascality,” Bakare argued.

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Bakare, a former presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), told journalists after the meeting that his lifelong vision remains the emergence of a Nigeria that works for all.

“My life, my personal vision, is to see a nation that works in my lifetime. And those things I’ve discussed with Mr President,” he said.

While Bakare declined to reveal specific issues raised during the conversation, he noted that his proposals were offered in good faith, trusting the president to act on them as he deems fit.

“They’re not hidden things, but I’ve learnt that when you discuss with the person in charge, you leave it with him to do whatsoever he wills with what you’ve suggested,” he said. “I’ve had a private conversation with Mr President, and I’m glad that he received me well. I trust that God will help our nation.”

When asked what he hoped to see in the coming years of the Tinubu administration, Bakare highlighted peace, unity, and measurable national progress as critical priorities.

“I’d like to see a peaceful nation. I’d like to see Nigerians being their brothers’ keeper,” he said. “I’d like to see a good collaboration between the best of the North and the best of the South to steer Nigeria in the right direction.”

Bakare, who has long championed national transformation through good governance and inclusive leadership, said it was time to stop “dancing around” difficult issues and start taking concrete action.

“We have danced around some subjects for too long a time. It’s time to take concrete action to ensure that the masses of our country do not live in abject poverty,” he added.