Adeboye to Tinubu: You Are in the Midst of Hater …. A Call to Break the Protocol Cage and Heal a Nation Wounded by Politics

By Citizen Bolaji O. Akinyemi

1. A Mother’s Memoir and a Nation’s Pain

When I first wrote Remi Tinubu’s Memoir: RCCG Crack, MFM Gain, it was not to mock the First Lady but to caution her — and through her, the Presidency — against reopening wounds the Church of Christ in Nigeria is still nursing. I reminded her that mothers mend broken walls; they do not reopen the wounds of their children.

In The Journey of Grace, Mrs. Tinubu narrates the storms of faith and politics, but she leaves the Church of her ordination, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), bleeding afresh. She forgot that the same Church gave her and her husband credibility at the most critical junction of their political journey.

When her husband sought the presidency under a Muslim–Muslim ticket, it was not just a political risk — it was a theological earthquake. Christians across the land swallowed a bitter pill for the sake of national peace. Some did so quietly, others with tears. Yet among the few reasons the ticket was tolerated at all was the presence of Pastor (Mrs.) Remi Tinubu, a Redeemed pastor, seen as a bridge between a Muslim husband and the wounded Church.

That bridge is collapsing.

2. Adeboye’s Prophetic Rebuke

Recently, at the November Holy Ghost Service of the RCCG, the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, broke his silence. In a voice both pastoral and prophetic, he declared that whoever wrote President Tinubu’s October 1 Independence Day speech “does not like him.”

That was not mere rhetoric. It was a national diagnosis.

The President had declared that “all is well now, and displaced people have returned to their villages.” But on that very same day, Nigeria woke up to the murder of another traditional ruler. Adeboye, a man not given to political theatre, warned that “there are several people around Tinubu who are not telling him the truth.”

That statement deserves to be engraved in gold, for it comes from a man whose moral weight transcends denominations. The elder statesman of the Church is not merely rebuking a speechwriter; he is calling attention to the sycophantic ecosystem around the President — a system of handlers who love access more than truth, applause more than nationhood.

3. Between Counsel and Command

Adeboye’s humility is legendary: “You can only advise a Commander-in-Chief; you cannot command him,” he said. Yet his counsel cut deeper than most official briefings:

> “Tell your service chiefs to get rid of these terrorists within 90 days or resign. Eliminate not only the terrorists but their sponsors, no matter how influential they may be.”

That is not just spiritual talk; it is national strategy.

For years, he has privately advised presidents, refusing to weaponize the pulpit. But when the nation bleeds and leadership refuses to listen, prophets must speak publicly. His rebuke is not political; it is parental. He sees what those around the President do not — that the throne’s stability depends on the quality of counsel it receives.

4. The Protocol Cage Around Power

When I wrote to the President last year, offering actionable intelligence that could have prevented bloodshed in parts of Northern Nigeria, there was no reply. When I reached out through the First Lady’s office to stand with persecuted northern Christians after the 2023 Christmas attacks, silence answered.

That silence is not the President’s; it is the protocol cage around him — a bureaucracy of “handlers” who think access to power means ownership of power. They filter truth, muffle conscience, and choke goodwill.

Now we see that even Pastor Adeboye — a national moral compass and the President’s own “in-law” — has been forced to speak through the media because the same cage blocks prophetic voices from reaching the palace.

When those who should warn are walled out, the nation walks into danger unadvised.

5. Remi Tinubu’s Missed Moment

The First Lady is an ordained pastor of the RCCG. She knows the voice of her father-in-faith. If anyone could have bridged this widening gulf between the Church and the State, it is her.

But instead of being the First Intercessor, she has allowed handlers to turn her into the First Politician.

The woman who should be healing the wounds of the Church has chosen to narrate them. The pastor who should interpret her husband’s heart to the faithful has joined the chorus of those rationalizing exclusion.

Remi Tinubu must break free from the protocol cage around her and become the woman her husband once described her to be — “the hope of Christians in this government.”

She must rise above handlers who measure loyalty in silence, and above aides who mistake caution for disloyalty. Her voice is needed now more than ever, not for politics but for peace.

6. Adeboye’s Broader Message to the Nation

Pastor Adeboye’s warning goes beyond security rhetoric. He spoke of diplomacy, of restraint, and of internal reform. He urged the government to move “wisely, diplomatically, and decisively” — to buy time, not to buy trouble.

He cautioned that no world power will defend Nigeria in a crisis. If America attacks, China will issue statements; Russia will hold meetings; Britain will express concern. None will shed blood for us.

He reminded us of shared humanity — that the issue of religion began when politics entered religion. He spoke of Muslim cousins, shared meals, and childhood harmony. In those simple memories lies the moral heart of a multi-religious Nigeria that has lost its innocence to political manipulation.

Adeboye is right: this is not the time for grammar or for partisan defences. Innocent people are dying. The Church and Mosque must unite to defend humanity, not doctrine.

7. The Counsel Tinubu Must Hear

Mr. President, your throne’s danger is not America’s threat nor Trump’s bravado. It is the hate disguised as loyalty surrounding you. Those who isolate you from prophets, pastors, and the people are not protecting your power; they are poisoning it.

Every empire that fell did so from within. Nigeria’s presidency is not immune.

Summon the elders of faith — reach each Bloc Leaders of CAN directly. Give
ECWA and COCIN recognition in the dialogue through the TEKAN structure as the most affected. Talk to the Church and proceed to consolidate the gain of your discretion through and expansion with the Muslim community; the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs is there to facilitate that. Hold dialogue not with politicians, but with conscience-bearers.

The American designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” is not mere propaganda. It is based on intelligence and perception — both of which Nigeria must address through engagement, not denial.

A president who listens to people will outlive propaganda. A president who silences people will be ruined by flatterers.

8. November: The Month to Act

This November must not pass in lethargy. The President must act.

Convene a National Interfaith Dialogue — not for photo-ops, but for peace-building.

Reassess the nation’s security command with measurable deadlines, as Adeboye advised.

Empower the First Lady to lead reconciliation efforts among Christian communities that feel alienated.

Reclaim the trust of the people before 2027 becomes another wound in Nigeria’s democratic journey.

America is watching, but more importantly, God is watching.

9. Conclusion: The Call Above Politics

Pastor Adeboye’s words are not a political attack; they are a father’s cry. And my article on Remi Tinubu was never a personal criticism; it was an apostolic warning.

Nigeria does not need perfect leaders; it needs listening ones.

If President Tinubu will humble himself to hear voices beyond his handlers — if his wife will rediscover her pastoral calling and reconcile the Church to the State — then perhaps this administration may yet redeem its legacy.

But if the protocol cage remains, the throne will tremble, and history will say: “He was surrounded by those who loved power, not truth.”

Mr. President, you are in the midst of haters. Break free from their counsel, and listen to those who love you enough to tell you the truth.
That is the only path to healing — for the throne, for the Church, and for the nation.