Ezekwesili Defends Adeboye, Says He Has Spoken on Insecurity, Restructuring

Oby Ezekwesili defends Pastor Adeboye, saying he has consistently spoken on insecurity and restructuring over the years. She urges Nigerians to focus on action rather than questioning whether leaders speak out.

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has defended the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, against claims that he has remained silent on Nigeria’s challenges, insisting that the cleric has consistently spoken on insecurity, governance, and restructuring over the years.

In a statement shared on social media on Thursday, Ezekwesili said Adeboye has repeatedly addressed national issues across different administrations, regardless of who is in power.

According to her, the issue is not whether the cleric has spoken, but whether Nigerians have paid attention to his interventions and calls for reform.

“No, Pastor Adeboye is not our problem. He speaks. He spoke in the 1990s. He spoke in the early 2000s. He spoke in 2010. He spoke in 2020. He spoke in 2025,” she wrote.

Ezekwesili referenced remarks attributed to Adeboye during a Holy Ghost Service in November 2025, where he reportedly urged the federal government to take decisive action against insecurity, warning that security chiefs should either eliminate terrorists or resign.

She also noted that the cleric had called for stronger action against terrorism and its alleged sponsors, regardless of status or influence.

The former minister further cited Adeboye’s comments made on October 1, 2020, during a governance forum marking Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary, where he reportedly criticised aspects of the country’s governance structure and supported calls for restructuring.

According to her, Adeboye had warned that Nigeria faced serious risks without urgent structural reforms, stressing that continued imbalance in governance could threaten national unity.

Ezekwesili argued that the cleric’s repeated interventions over the years show a consistent pattern of speaking out on national issues affecting citizens.

She maintained that the real challenge lies not in the absence of warnings, but in the lack of response and action from both leaders and citizens.

“The real question becomes: What are we all now going to do about it?” she asked.

She concluded by urging Nigerians to focus on collective responsibility and reform efforts aimed at addressing insecurity, governance failures, and national development challenges.