In an unexpected departure from his traditional visionary and prophetic declarations, the Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has delivered a scathing, data-driven critique of Nigeria’s fiscal trajectory.
The famous cleric, in a video clip posted on the ministry’s official Facebook page, provided a strict socio-economic analysis, launching a warning against the federal government’s perceived relentless reliance on foreign loans.
Expressing anxiety over the nation’s accelerating infrastructure deficits and debt burdens, Ayodele warned that Nigeria risks extreme financial instability if the executive structure fails to look inward and utilize internal resources.
“It is painful to watch the direction our nation is heading,” Primate Ayodele stressed, reminding policymakers of his past prophetic warnings regarding fiscal sustainability. The servant of God remarked; “I have consistently warned about the danger of Nigeria sinking under the weight of excessive borrowing. I also spoke about further borrowing by December, yet October is not even over, and another foreign loan proposal has already emerged.”
The cleric’s intervention comes on the heels of the Tinubu presidency seeking the legislative approval for a fresh external loan plan to bridge fiscal deficits. Pointing out what he termed “the dangerous timing of the loan request”, Ayodele noted that the sudden acceleration of borrowing benchmarks invalidates standard budgetary planning and spells long-term disaster for the economy. He cautioned that the continuous aggregation of credit facilities might cripple state capacities and reduce the standard of living for everyday Nigerians.
“One cannot help but wonder what December will bring if the nation is already considering another loan in October,” the cleric noted, with a warning that focusing on the systemic risks being transferred to future generations.
“How much more debt can Nigeria accumulate, and what will be left for the generations coming behind us?,” Ayodele stressed, adding that “rather than accumulating more debts, the government must extract greater value from indigenous companies and mineral-rich states like Taraba, Kogi, and Zamfara to achieve true economic autonomy”.
The revered prophet emphasized that the gravity of the current economic reality supersedes standard political optics. “This is not a moment to celebrate or boast about warnings; it is a moment to lament over the future of our country,” he declared, while urging a total overhaul of the current fiscal approach, maintaining that “Nigeria needs mercy, wisdom and a sustainable way forward”.
