One-time presidential running mate and pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, has declared that an APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is not in the same class with the late premier of Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, hence, does not deserve to take the place of the late sage as the leader of the Yoruba race.
Admitting that both leaders made unique contributions in bringing the race together, the fiery preacher asserted that Awolowo belonged to a special breed created by God and was only in the class of world leaders like Mahatma Gandhi of India.
He made this known in an interview published in the second edition of the monthly publication: The Interview magazine, where he adduced that Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, was yet to cross the kind of rivers which the late Awolowo crossed.
“What major river did he (Tinubu) cross?” Bakare retorted when asked by his interviewer if the former governor was not qualified to take the place of the sage who is widely described as the last authentic leader of the Yoruba.
When reminded that the APC bigwig was the major engineer of the merger that helped to bring the Yoruba together, he said, “And you think it was only Bola Tinubu who made that possible. I see. Which one came first, the chicken or the egg?”
He continued: “Well, the answer is in the Bible. You are a preacher yourself. God first created the bird of the air and not eggs. The birds laid the eggs. If you see the picture of patriots and Nigerian leaders here, they are all a collapse of his.
“The people who are attempting to wear his (Awolowo) glasses do not have his vision, they attempt to wear his cap but do not have his brain, they attempt to wear his shoes but do not walk his ways. Show me the empire that Awolowo built with public funds. To a Yoruba man, there is no concept greater than Omoluabi.
“If you get to my father’s grave in a hut he built in 1922, which is now a museum, there is an inscription ‘bibire koshefowora” which means you cannot buy a good pedigree or family background.
“I am not trying to take the shine off Tinubu’s efforts; he had laboured but he is not in the same class with Awolowo. Regardless of how many rivers he crosses, he is still Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Awolowo is Awolowo.
“I have seen some paintings and pictures out there of Mahatma Gandhi, Awolowo and others and I just laugh and wonder why people can’t be themselves. When God needed a Mahatma Gandhi, he created one. So he did when he wanted an Awolowo. He created a T.D Jakes when he needed one.
“A young man once went to T.D. Jakes and said, ‘Pray for me that God will bless me and make me like you.’ T.D.Jakes asked him, “Are you sure.” “He said ‘Yes’ and T.D. Jakes said, “Let us pray. May you be homeless, go through hardship,’ and the young man jumped up and said ‘no, no, no, no, “and T.D. Jakes said, “That is what produces results.”
The vice presidential candidate of the CPC in the 2011 election, disclosed that books written by Awolowo were still relevant today, noting that: “You need to see books he (Awolowo) wrote and how they are still relevant today.
“Years after he left the scene, he is still the numero uno Yoruba leader. Eagles don’t flock. You see one at a time,” he added.
