Former President Muhammadu Buhari has described Pastor Tunde Bakare as a national asset as he clocks 70.

In a terse statement issued by his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari joined family, friends, and the nation to celebrate his Vice Presidential running mate in the unsuccessful presidential election in 2011,

In a congratulatory message on the occasion to the Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), the former president described Pastor Bakare as a gadfly and a valuable asset to the nation.

He further described him as a living legend who left a lucrative law practice to work as a pastor, a towering figure in nation-building, and an embodiment of intellect, integrity, and courage.

“He is a man deeply committed to democratic values and principles of social justice, a man who is totally unafraid to speak up against injustice anywhere.

“I pray that God will give him the opportunity and the long life to see his vision of Nigeria where the poor and the marginalized are unfettered,” said the former President.