Tunde Bakare, founder of Citadel Global Community Church, has criticised the national assembly for “busying itself with politicking” while the US congress convened a hearing on the country’s worsening insecurity.

Speaking on Sunday during his state of the nation address in Lagos, Bakare said elected representatives have failed to take charge at a time citizens needed them most.

He spoke on the heels of the redesignation of Nigeria by US President Donald Trump as a ‘country of particular concern’ and the recent congressional hearing on November 20 about the rising insecurity in the country.

The cleric criticised the national assembly for lacking initiative and allowing foreign legislators to lead discussions on Nigeria’s insecurity challenges.

“It is a shame on our national assembly that it took the United States Congress, not the representatives elected by Nigerians, to convene a hearing on the lived experiences of citizens suffering under insecurity, while those in Abuja were busy with politicking, posturing for political relevance, and defecting from one political party to another in their desperate manoeuvres to secure their seats ahead of the 2027 elections.”

Bakare said comments made by Trump were “the most despicable language ever used by a world leader” in describing Nigeria as a “now-disgraced country”.

He said the government’s sudden “flurry of activity after Trump’s remarks” exposed its earlier lack of urgency.

The cleric accused political leaders of “burying their heads in the sand like ostriches, preoccupied with the politics of chaos and paying little attention to the work of governance”.

He said the ruling class had ignored the daily realities of ordinary Nigerians and paid “little attention to the real work of governance.”

The former presidential aspirant added that it was “a stain on the Nigerian government” that external pressure was needed before officials acted.

Bakare said Nigeria had suffered its “most humiliating international public image since the Abacha era”, blaming the situation on years of poor leadership and the refusal to confront deep national problems.

He lamented the surge in attacks and kidnappings, adding that “terrorists and bandits now dare the Nigerian state with impunity.”

Bakare also urged President Bola Tinubu to issue a public apology to communities ravaged by insecurity, saying preliminary steps were insufficient to rebuild trust.

He welcomed early interventions but warned that stronger, systemic measures are necessary to restore citizens’ confidence.

Bakare proposed a victims and survivors register, a national apology within three months, and interim compensation, arguing that accountability is essential to ending the violence.