Lagos based television station, Channels TV, on Sunday, pulled the plugs on the weekly broadcast of Moment of Truth, a one hour religious programme hosted by Senior Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare.
The programme which is a recorded version of the fiery pastor’s weekly message at the Latter Rain Assembly Church Auditorium was suddenly terminated about 45 minutes into the programme just as the Pastor Bakare was making comments deemed to be critical of the government.
Pastor Bakare who was formerly the vice presidential running mate to General Muhammadu Buhari during the 2011 general elections has however defended the broadcast saying: “There was nothing I said in that broadcast that is subversive other than warning the nation that the forthcoming election is laced with disaster and that if we must plunge into it, we should be ready for the consequences,” he said.
It would be recalled that Pastor Bakare had earlier last week called a press conference in which he accused the government of ignoring fundamental flaws in the polity and allowing criminality to thrive to the extent that the nation’s economy could no longer support the massive corruption and fuel subsidy fraud.
No reason has been given by Channels TV for sudden termination of the programme.
Many will however recall that something similar happened during the New Year Day live transmission of Change-A-Life Charity show hosted by renowned Lagos media personalities, Funmilola Iyanda and Dele Momodu, publisher of the Ovation Magazine.
The programme which featured the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola as principal guest was pulled off air leading to growing concerns about a possible clampdown on the media and opposition figures ahead of the Feb 14, 2015 general elections.
A recording of the programme has however surfaced online and can be viewed below.