Now Trancribed! with Audio! Nigeria! "It Takes Idiots To Be Ruled By Fools" Tunde Bakare

The Role of Youths in National Deliverance is an hour long speech by Dr Tunde Bakare on The State of The Nigerian Nation. Edited into 24 minutes by Aina Olatunji-Mason and Kayode Ogundamisi. August 2011.



The Battle for National Survival – Excerpts.

...But If I may tell you the truth, though we are all living in denial including those in government sand the people of this nation, shouting peace, peace, when there is no peace. I’d like to let you know that Nigeria lies critically in the intensive care unit of the universe. We are under a severe attack by the twin forces of corruption and violence. The same forces that brought the wrath of God upon the earth of Noah in what you and I call the flood of waters...The presence of violence and corruption -you cannot separate violence from corruption.

Unintelligent men talk from both sides of the mouth – they do not know what they are saying. Look, it is unlike Nigerians to commit suicide by bombing themselves. A little while ago in the midst of serious suffering, economic disaster, and joblessness, Nigerians were voted the happiest place on earth, because no matter how difficult it is, there will still be a cousin, there will be an uncle, there will be an aunt, there will be a friend somewhere you can go to. When Nigerians become suicide bombers, you should be saying Come Lord Jesus! Because it means the hazardous times prophesied by Paul through the Holy Spirit that in the last days perilous times shall come. There will be no perilous times if there are no perilous people. And those who are looking for ways to blame Buhari-Bakare for the violence and for the bomb; the table knife I have on my table is just for food – I can’t kill chicken. General Buhari might have been a soldier, a General and a former Head of State – I don’t see him stirring up all this kind of nonsense that is going on. Those who dig their hand deep into corruption are the ones who orchestrated the violence upon our land...Because a people that are pushed to the wall must react one way or the other...But my real issue is this; corruption is ravaging this nation, has eaten deep into the fabric of this nation, and violence is already here, as a twin devil. In the present dispensation, it does not matter where you hide, it does not matter how tall your security measures or how toughened they have become, it does not matter who is watching (guarding) you, remember it was the private guards of Indira Ghandi that shot her. And when the justice of God will start, the mill of God grinds slowly but surely. It does not matter where you hide, whether Aso villa or Ass villa, you will be shot where you are, except you right the wrongs.

Hell on earth – that is what Nigeria has become, Hell on earth! Hell on earth – that is what this nation has become. This is hell on earth!! Just imagine how many people have died since the advent of the PDP. Go back to Obasanjo’s regime, join it to Yar ‘ Adua, and bring it to the crescendo of Jonathan, and see how life is no longer of any value in our nation. Rome burns, Nero fiddles It is the mercy of God that we are not yet completely consumed. The way it is going, you will hide in your house, and to come out will be difficult. And all those lovely cars you have, you might need to go learn how to ride Okada - except the Lord of heavens will intervene in our situation. There is fear – palpable fear, everywhere. The president - they can even write it on paper, in the newspaper, that they have strengthened security around the president – how about the citizens you are meant to serve and protect – they can die? You can live..? Because you mother has two heads.

Nigeria lies critically in the intensive care unit of the universe. We are under attack by the two forces of corruption and violence. We are in a state of anarchy and lawlessness. These are diagnosis, as I taught on the 7th of August. Major economic crisis is knocking at the door, all the arms of the government, and virtually all of them, the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary are in disarray. T o compound the matter, the leadership of the nation and the people, are living in denial, saying one thing in public and fearfully wondering in private, looking for a way of escape from our present national dilemma. Our hitherto esteemed elders, like a drunk on the brink, are making fools of themselves everywhere. God is not going to fix Nigeria until he fixes his temples. Judgement will begin from the house of the Lord – those who pervert the truth, and see the hand of God in wrongs – they will pay dearly for it. You can write it in capital letters IT IS TOO LATE. You all see how politicians think – many of them have their brain under their foot. They just trample upon it – they treat symptoms and leave the real root or the cause of the matter. They have forgotten that years of neglect, years of abandonment, years of fatherlessness, “motherlessness”, “directionlessness” in a nation will raise children who are lawless, and who don’t care whether they live or die. And they will be prepared to take anyone down to the grave with them including the society. What you have seen is the tip of the iceberg – a people deprived and pushed to the wall, will be ready to die but they will take you with them. And they will target your most noble institutions, children, wives...You wait and see. The President had better keep his mother, in the villa and not let her go to Bayelsa because they will kidnap your mother and nothing will happen – they have kidnapped the mother of a governor, they kidnapped the father of a star footballer, who then is your mother? That is the stage of anarchy that we are in – that they have not landed in your house is still God’s mercy. They are looking for your son and are looking for your daughter, because you did not read the handwriting on the wall, and they read it that you are their problem – that what should come to them, in terms of education, in terms of medical care, in terms of infrastructural development, in terms of job creation, you are the one that sat on their money – Anenih, OBJ, all of you that have one time ruined this nation cannot go down in peace. It is not possible! You will not go down in peace!! Because they will rise up against you...I refuse to be angry... If they had perceived in their hearts that God brought them into a position of authority and exalted them for his people, like David knew, they would not have behaved the way they behaved, they will not be stashing the resources of this nation in foreign banks, and still walking free and calling the shots, and now becoming drunk to call themselves fools and greater fools at seventy and beyond seventy. Is it not a shame that Nigerians are idiots presided over by fools? ...Because we now know the quality of those who ruled us. It would take idiots to have fools ruling them. Just say it quietly and accept, don’t say it loud, “ I accept, I have been an idiot” for there is no way all this nonsense should have been going on...Look at places you would consider stable, like Tunisia, only one citizen got fed up, poured petrol on himself, set himself ablaze, before the fire could go down, the president had run away – just one citizen...Mubarak had been in power for over 30 years, he thought he was in charge, he waiting to make his son his own successor. Ordinary young people began to text themselves and say ‘enough is enough!’ and they went there, not for one day, not for two days, not for one week, not for two weeks. They kept on there, staying there, by the time you ask Nigerians to sacrifice for one hour; they are looking for bathroom – Idiots! O ye foolish Nigerians, who has bewitched you? Except the blindfold is removed from your eyes, your university certificates, papers are like toilet roll – worthless because it cannot fetch you any job – Idiots! The bible says the profit of the land is for all – where is your own share, idiots?! Your roads are un-passable, you take pride in ‘I better pass my neighbour’ , buy useless 1 KVA generator polluting the atmosphere, making noise everywhere, calling yourself Mr Big shot, idiots! My message is to you Nigerians today, because, fools have ruled you for too long a time, and all we will do is sporadic, haphazard, demonstration s in the street, “we are going to Fashola’s office – we will march there” and Fashola will give us a pep talk. We will give him a letter for him to give to the president, Idiots! Has it worked at any time? Time has come for Nigerians to rise up – East, West, North and South, and to say “Enough is Enough!” I have told you before that my marching days are over – I am putting the toga on again, we are going to pull this house down and rebuild it in the name of Jesus! Enough is enough!

Transcribed by Aina Olatunji-Mason

KEY: To occupy oneself with unimportant matters and neglect priorities during a crisis. The source of this phrase is the story that Nero played the fiddle (violin) while Rome burned, during the great fire in AD 64. (Courtesy – The Phrase Finder)

Refers to commercial motorcycles used as vehicles for hire in Nigeria. The name Okada was borrowed from Okada Air, a now defunct local airline in Nigeria. (Courtesy Wikipedia)


FULL TRANCRIPT.

The Battle for National Survival – Excerpts
...But If I may tell you the truth, though we are all living in denial including those in government sand the people of this nation, shouting peace, peace, when there is no peace. I’d like to let you know that Nigeria lies critically in the intensive care unit of the universe. We are under a severe attack by the twin forces of corruption and violence. The same forces that brought the wrath of God upon the earth of Noah in what you and I call the flood of waters...The presence of violence and corruption -you cannot separate violence from corruption. Unintelligent men talk from both sides of the mouth – they do not know what they are saying. Look, it is unlike Nigerians to commit suicide by bombing themselves. A little while ago in the midst of serious suffering, economic disaster, and joblessness, Nigerians were voted the happiest place on earth, because no matter how difficult it is, there will still be a cousin, there will be an uncle, there will be an aunt, there will be a friend somewhere you can go to. When Nigerians become suicide bombers, you should be saying Come Lord Jesus! Because it means the hazardous times prophesied by Paul through the Holy Spirit that in the last days perilous times shall come. There will be no perilous times if there are no perilous people. And those who are looking for ways to blame Buhari-Bakare for the violence and for the bomb; the table knife I have on my table is just for food – I can’t kill chicken. General Buhari might have been a soldier, a General and a former Head of State – I don’t see him stirring up all this kind of nonsense that is going on. Those who dig their hand deep into corruption are the ones who orchestrated the violence upon our land...Because a people that are pushed to the wall must react one way or the other...But my real issue is this; corruption is ravaging this nation, has eaten deep into the fabric of this nation, and violence is already here, as a twin devil. In the present dispensation, it does not matter where you hide, it does not matter how tall your security measures or how toughened they have become, it does not matter who is watching (guarding) you, remember it was the private guards of Indira Ghandi that shot her. And when the justice of God will start, the mill of God grinds slowly but surely. It does not matter where you hide, whether Aso villa or Ass villa, you will be shot where you are, except you right the wrongs.
Hell on earth – that is what Nigeria has become, Hell on earth! Hell on earth – that is what this nation has become. This is hell on earth!! Just imagine how many people have died since the advent of the PDP. Go back to Obasanjo’s regime, join it to Yar ‘ Adua, and bring it to the crescendo of Jonathan, and see how life is no longer of any value in our nation. Rome burns, Nero fiddles It is the mercy of God that we are not yet completely consumed. The way it is going, you will hide in your house, and to come out will be difficult. And all those lovely cars you have, you might need to go learn how to ride Okada - except the Lord of heavens will intervene in our situation. There is fear – palpable fear, everywhere. The president - they can even write it on paper, in the newspaper, that they have strengthened security around the president – how about the citizens you are meant to serve and protect – they can die? You can live..? Because you mother has two heads.
Nigeria lies critically in the intensive care unit of the universe. We are under attack by the two forces of corruption and violence. We are in a state of anarchy and lawlessness. These are diagnosis, as I taught on the 7th of August. Major economic crisis is knocking at the door, all the arms of the government, and virtually all of them, the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary are in disarray. T o compound the matter, the leadership of the nation and the people, are living in denial, saying one thing in public and fearfully wondering in private, looking for a way of escape from our present national dilemma. Our hitherto esteemed elders, like a drunk on the brink, are making fools of themselves everywhere. God is not going to fix Nigeria until he fixes his temples. Judgement will begin from the house of the Lord – those who pervert the truth, and see the hand of God in wrongs – they will pay dearly for it. You can write it in capital letters IT IS TOO LATE. You all see how politicians think – many of them have their brain under their foot. They just trample upon it – they treat symptoms and leave the real root or the cause of the matter. They have forgotten that years of neglect, years of abandonment, years of fatherlessness, “motherlessness”, “directionlessness” in a nation will raise children who are lawless, and who don’t care whether they live or die. And they will be prepared to take anyone down to the grave with them including the society. What you have seen is the tip of the iceberg – a people deprived and pushed to the wall, will be ready to die but they will take you with them. And they will target your most noble institutions, children, wives...You wait and see. The President had better keep his mother, in the villa and not let her go to Bayelsa because they will kidnap your mother and nothing will happen – they have kidnapped the mother of a governor, they kidnapped the father of a star footballer, who then is your mother? That is the stage of anarchy that we are in – that they have not landed in your house is still God’s mercy. They are looking for your son and are looking for your daughter, because you did not read the handwriting on the wall, and they read it that you are their problem – that what should come to them, in terms of education, in terms of medical care, in terms of infrastructural development, in terms of job creation, you are the one that sat on their money – Anenih, OBJ, all of you that have one time ruined this nation cannot go down in peace. It is not possible! You will not go down in peace!! Because they will rise up against you...I refuse to be angry... If they had perceived in their hearts that God brought them into a position of authority and exalted them for his people, like David knew, they would not have behaved the way they behaved, they will not be stashing the resources of this nation in foreign banks, and still walking free and calling the shots, and now becoming drunk to call themselves fools and greater fools at seventy and beyond seventy. Is it not a shame that Nigerians are idiots presided over by fools? ...Because we now know the quality of those who ruled us. It would take idiots to have fools ruling them. Just say it quietly and accept, don’t say it loud, “ I accept, I have been an idiot” for there is no way all this nonsense should have been going on...Look at places you would consider stable, like Tunisia, only one citizen got fed up, poured petrol on himself, set himself ablaze, before the fire could go down, the president had run away – just one citizen...Mubarak had been in power for over 30 years, he thought he was in charge, he waiting to make his son his own successor. Ordinary young people began to text themselves and say ‘enough is enough!’ and they went there, not for one day, not for two days, not for one week, not for two weeks. They kept on there, staying there, by the time you ask Nigerians to sacrifice for one hour; they are looking for bathroom – Idiots! O ye foolish Nigerians, who has bewitched you? Except the blindfold is removed from your eyes, your university certificates, papers are like toilet roll – worthless because it cannot fetch you any job – Idiots! The bible says the profit of the land is for all – where is your own share, idiots?! Your roads are un-passable, you take pride in ‘I better pass my neighbour’ , buy useless 1 KVA generator polluting the atmosphere, making noise everywhere, calling yourself Mr Big shot, idiots! My message is to you Nigerians today, because, fools have ruled you for too long a time, and all we will do is sporadic, haphazard, demonstration s in the street, “we are going to Fashola’s office – we will march there” and Fashola will give us a pep talk. We will give him a letter for him to give to the president, Idiots! Has it worked at any time? Time has come for Nigerians to rise up – East, West, North and South, and to say “Enough is Enough!” I have told you before that my marching days are over – I am putting the toga on again, we are going to pull this house down and rebuild it in the name of Jesus! Enough is enough!
I don’t care what happens – this is my destiny, this is my life. If you cannot stand the heat – get out of the kitchen, Idiots!
Were you not the same people saying “we did not vote for PDP, we only voted for Jonathan”, idiots! How do you separate one from the other, idiots? Is it not your elders in the church that saw the hand of God in massive rigging and called the Lord Jehovah , “Jehovah Rigger” ? Idiots! How long are you going to endure this banditry? They have stolen your heritage, you are now begging for crumbs from the master’s table. My God will always have a witness. Is there a witness in the house today? I feel like breaking the microphone and preach no more. I feel like going away far from the madding crowd, or maddening crown for it looks like we have lost our minds. Our children have no future. Every father will have to create his own business for the survival of his own family. And when we say let’s rise, you’ll be the first to cal us ‘Area Pastors’ , because you too refined...Your house will burn! You go check the bible, Your wives will become harlots, Your children will be slaughtered on the streets, this is what Amos said!! “But, let justice roll like water” I think I will come back to finish this. You see, I got to a place where I began to examine “are Nigerians really human beings?” “Are they cows?” “Are they dogs?” “Are they cowards?” “Who are Nigerians?” “Is this what you designed from the beginning?” “Is this the great nation you had at the back of your mind – that will save Africa” “ Is this what we are made up of , that we are talking from both sides of our mouths, that we have no vision, that we have no future, and we just sit in temples, in churches, in congresses, in conferences, collecting people’s money, idiots?!” Let it begin from the house of God! Let it begin from the temple!! Let the leaders rise, let us march, let us take over back our heritage from bandits!!!
America’s hand is deep in the confusion that is going on in our nation. America’s hand is deep in all the rigging. Their experts came here to help INEC to pervert justice, and they left this shore thinking that they are bigger than us, but God is bigger than them! Oh Jehovah is stepping into the terrain, in the name of Jesus. Nigerian youth, arise! Nigerian women, arise!! Nigerian men, arise!!! Take back your heritage.
It is a shame that those who were dependent on public money, and went to public schools, and were given opportunities, through the Ministries of Education and Finance, in their states and the nation are the ones scuttling the future of our children. They have stolen us rotten. If I were to give scholarships to all children, I would become broke. But it is not my responsibility; I can only do my best for individuals that I know. Imagine that we had no visionary leaders like Awo, I won’t stand before you today. MY father had several children. They didn’t have the opportunity I had, because by the time that I was born, Awo started free primary education. It wasn’t sophisticated. There were no nursery rhymes. The classrooms were not fantastic. We used pit latrines. We crossed streams to go to school. But we were taught – a – aja, b – bata, d – doje, e – ejo, e – eye, f - fila, gb – gbaguda, etc, etc. And the likes of Mrs F. A Alabi would come to our English class, ‘to’ takes present tense e.g to go, to come, to dance, to jump. Have and had take participles – ‘have you drunken the water?’ ‘You have played well’ Did takes present tense – ‘did you hear me?’ I have never forgotten. That was the way we were taught. We did not know how big Africa was then. And I hadn’t had the privilge to go through the north, the south , the east, the west, the central of Africa, I knew my continent. I know my nation. And God has privileged me to see the nations of the world. But back then, even nations I had never been, we were taught
Some rivers in Africa,
Some rivers in Africa
Nile, niger, Benue , Congo, Orange, Lipopopo, Zambezi.
We did not know the nationns, we knew the rivers, we were taught simply and we stood at exams. We didn’t cheat, we were not writing things on our thighs, we were ot begging lecturers to pass us, nobody was writing our exams for us, we were properly taught and this is who we are, by the grace of God. I didn;t go to King;s college, I didn’t go to St Finbarrs, I did not go to London School of Economics. There are people that went there here. I did not go to Cambridge, I didn;t go to Oxford, I dind’t go to Yale. Ahhhhhhhh. But bring their professors, and let us match wit, and I will show you what God has done through Awolowo for me. Who remembers Awolowo today for the houses he built? Shameless Obasanjo retired from government, and built a house they cannot live in for 10 years before it collapses. Who will maintain it? I tell you who will – reptiles, lizards, rats, cockroaches and cobwebs. If you doubt me, go to Ile-Oluji and see the house of Fajemirokun, and what became of it. And point to the house of Da Rocha today, and show me the hotel built by Bobby Benson. You understand me? Show me where it once stood. I want to see the rocklanders built by Akogun, Harold Shodipo in front of Olumo rock. Where are these buildings today? Gone with the winds...because the people you did not build, will destroy everythng you are building now, idiots! You have a fool ruling over you. He does not feel your pain. He does not understand what you are saying. He is living on ogogoro 24/7. This is not new. When God is about to deliver a nation, He allows this kind of thing to happen. It’s not new. He will allow his people to be ridiculed, he will allow the enemy to insult him, so he can put on his armour, and step into the terrain. I will continue from here next Sunday. Oh yeah, until I finish this, there is no going back. That idiotic mentality, of you getting crumbs from what is rightly yours, of your water being sold to you, of a foreign agent of a world bank coming here, telling you your subsidy will be withdrawn and will only take 4% of our largesse and over-expenditure, and bloated governemnt and you say nothing? Every one of them will become lubricants to this revolution. You are goin to say someting, your voice is being restored back to you, Nigerians are going to rise, young and old, male and female. We are takin gour heritage back. I knew this day was coming when I packaged all the atrocities of Jonathan and led four men to Aso vila, and sat with him, and put in his hand in writing, why the SNG and the people we influence will not support Jonathan; put in his hand! And I said to the group, I will never return here except there is change. From that day, nobody can call me to come there. Do you understand me? I said so , and I meant every word of it. If I am doing this because i am seeking popularity, God of heaven knows, if I am doin g this because i am looking for power or I am looking for attention, is this the way to look for attention? When I had red carpet to enter to go into the villa at any time? On that last day, he packages $50,000 to give me crumbs from the master’s table, trying to give me part of what is mine, I am not a fool! We will take everything back from you. You are an unprofitable servant! We are casting you from the seat of power!! And so it is said, and so it is settled!!!