Pastor Enoch Adeboye has stepped in to defend President Bola Tinubu amid criticism over Nigeria's worsening insecurity crisis. The RCCG general overseer insists the president has done his constitutional duty by ordering military action against terrorists.
Speaking at a gala in Washington on June 23, Adeboye rejected claims that Tinubu hasn't done enough. "When the commander-in-chief has given instructions to his subordinates, he has done his bit," he said.
According to him, critics misunderstand what a president's role demands. "You don't expect him to put on khaki and go to the battlefield," Adeboye noted.
He compared Tinubu's position to that of Donald Trump. World leaders, he explained, issue military orders without joining combat operations themselves.
But Adeboye didn't let the president off entirely. He challenged Tinubu to take bolder action against insurgency.
The cleric demanded that military commanders receive a 90-day ultimatum to eliminate terrorism or resign from their posts. Security agencies should also dismantle networks funding violent groups, he insisted.
Adeboye acknowledged Nigeria's security situation has deteriorated sharply across the country. Terrorism and kidnapping, once confined to the North, have now reached Southern communities.
"The terrorism and kidnapping that were in the North are now at my doorstep," he lamented to reporters at the Save Nigeria Group event.
He revealed he'd discussed the crisis directly with President Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, herself a pastor in the RCCG. The meeting gave him an opportunity to deliver his recommendations personally.
"I told him to direct the military officers across the armed forces to wipe out this rubbish within 90 days or resign," Adeboye said.
Beyond military action, he urged authorities to target those bankrolling terrorism. Many financiers remain untouched by law enforcement despite their influence.
"Some of them are businessmen. Some are politicians.
Go after them," the pastor told officials close to the government.
Adeboye stressed that cutting off terrorist funding and weapons supplies is critical to ending the insurgency. Without dismantling these networks, violence will persist indefinitely.
He also called on the United States and international allies to strengthen their partnership with Nigeria in counterterrorism efforts. Global cooperation, he believes, offers Nigeria's best path to restoring peace nationwide.
