Pastor Bakare’s broadcast on Channels TV gets terminated while airing over alleged critical comment on Nigerian govt.

Channels Television, a Lagos-based independent 24-hour news station, on Sunday suddenly terminated a broadcast by fiery pastor, Tunde Bakare, over claims the tone of the message was critical of the Nigerian government.

Moment of Truth, a one-hour recorded paid programme, through which Mr. Bakare broadcasts messages he preaches in his church, Latter Rain Assembly, runs every Sunday on the Lagos channel of the station, between 5p.m. and 6p.m.

But 45 minutes into the programme on Sunday, Channels terminated the programme just as Pastor Bakare was making comments considered critical of the Nigerian government.

“We had to hurriedly take the programme off air after he (Pastor Bakare) began spitting venom against the government and saying things we cannot defend,” an official of the station, who asked not to be named because he has no permission to speak on the matter,stated.

Pastor Bakare said he and his church had not been given any explanation for terminating the programme.

“The broadcast is not free,” Mr. Bakare said. “ It is paid for and those in charge will write them tomorrow to demand explanations.”

The pastor insisted Channels had no justification for pulling his broadcast.

“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. ...PremiumTimes