How Nigeria churches are encouraging corruption. Obasanjo.

A former Nigerian president, Olusegun
Obasanjo, has said that the activities of
church leaders are contributing to the
rampart cases of corruption across the
country.
Speaking on Saturday at the convention
of Victory Life Bible Church
International in Abeokuta, Ogun State,
Mr. Obasanjo said fighting corruption
should not be a one-off affair because it
would bounce back with vengeance.
“There is no doubt that all our
institutions have been tarnished by the
brush of corruption,” Mr. Obasanjo, a
retired army general, said in his speech
titled ‘The Role of the Church in the Fight
Against Corruption in Nigeria.”
“If the Church, as an institution, does
not take bribe or get involved in other
corrupt practice, the behaviour of some
of our men of God leaves much to be
desired.
“They not only celebrate but venerate
those whose sources of wealth are
questionable. They accept gifts (offering)
from just anybody without asking
questions. This gives the impression that
anything is acceptable in the house of
God.
“But if Jesus can chase out those buying
and selling from the temple with the
declaration that, ‘My house shall be
called the house of prayer, but ye have
made it a den of thieves,’ then it is time
to stand up against corruption.”
Mr. Obasanjo, who was represented at
the event by Femi Olajide, the chapel of
Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential
Library’s Christ the Glorious King
Church, called on the Church to clean its
Augean stable in order to restore its
holiness.
He also advocated that prosperity
messages be preached with caution and
moderation.
“Our present day ‘money changers’ and
‘merchants’ must be chased out of the
Church and put to shame in the larger
society.
“While miracles, signs and wonders are
the expectations of true believers, such
must be based on righteousness. To
preach that one can acquire wealth
without labour is not only deceitful; it is
a call to corruption. It is false preaching
and it is sinful.
“We must be careful in believing and
celebrating every testimony of
miraculous blessing, hence we end up
being hoodwinked into celebrating
corruption.”
Mr. Obasanjo, who was president
between 1999 and 2007, said he took a
“bold step” to curb corruption, adding
that the fight against corruption was
made a “top priority” during his
administration.
He also said his government never
lacked the political will to support the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission and the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other Related
Offences Commission, two anti-
corruption agencies Mr. Obasanjo
created.
He further said the rise of public
administration and the discovery of oil
and natural gas were two major events
that increased corrupt practices in the
country.
“The government has tried to contain
corruption through the enactment of
laws and the enforcement of integrity
systems, but success has been slow in
coming,” Mr. Obasanjo said.
“Legislations alone are not enough as
they are often breached by those who
make them and those who implement
them.”

PROTOCOLS
INTRODUCTION
Corruption is a form of dishonest or
unethical conduct by a person or group
of persons, entrusted with a position of
authority or an activity which involves
financial or any other resources, outside
his or her own, often with a view to
acquiring personal or group benefits.
Corruption is also the misuse of a public
office or a position of authority and
responsibility for private material or
social gain at the expense of other
people, individual or corporate. It
includes bribery which is the use of
reward to pervert the judgement of a
person in a position of trust, nepotism
which is bestowal of patronage by
reason of prescriptive relationship
rather than merit and misappropriation
which is appropriation of public
resources for private use. Corruption can
be variously grouped into political,
financial, ethnic and personal types
although corruption is corruption no
matter how leniently or loosely put.
It must be stated that ‘political
corruption’ is a persistent phenomenon
in Nigeria and there is politics
everywhere including the Church,
especially if politics is seen as concerned
with power, status, influence within an
organisation rather than with matters of
principle.
Corruption has been in existence in all
strata for ages and it cannot go away
easily but it can be curbed. We all have
our fair share in encouraging corruption
but unfortunately, it is becoming more
rampant, in the political circle and in
governments in various countries
particularly among developing nations
including Nigeria. Transparency
International is the global civil society
organisation leading the fight against
corruption.
It must be emphasised that though the
Transparency International rated
developing countries as more corrupt,
they are encouraged largely by some of
these developed countries because these
regions serve as opportunistic avenues
for hiding or domiciling their ill-gotten
riches, sometimes for greater returns
when compared with being in the home
or developing countries.
COMING TO NIGERIA
According to ICPC Act (Section 2),
corruption includes vices like bribery,
fraud and other related offences which
can include award of contracts,
promotion of staff, dispensation of
justices, misuse of public offices,
embezzlement of public funds, inclusion
in the payroll of non-existent workers
known as ghost workers, amongst other
numerous offences. Broadly put, the
dishonest and illegal behaviour
exhibited, especially by people in
authority for their personal gain is
corruption. The perception index of
transparency internationally ranked
Nigeria in 2015/16, 144th of the 146
countries, beating Bangladesh and Haiti
to last positions. Unfortunately, the
perpetrators do not fear any punishment
or consequences because the legislators
free them from scrutiny and Governors’
claims to be immune.
Historical presentations have shown that
corruption has been in place in Nigeria
for decades.
During my tenure as democratically-
elected President of Nigeria in 1999, a
bill was presented to the National
Assembly on prohibition and
punishment for bribery and corruption
and other related offences. I took that
bold step then. However, how far has
this actually helped in the eradication or
better still, in reduction of corruption in
the country? Unfortunately, the act has
continued to spread like a wildfire, from
Federal to the States, to the Local
Government level and to other
authorities; even within the educational
sector in Nigeria, from secondary to
university levels. A student bribing
lecturer for higher grades is corruption.
Lower clerics have been found to be
bribing his (and now) her way through
to be promoted even in the ‘house’ of
God! Evidences also abound in which
female staff enjoy unqualified rapid
promotion, in many offices and
organisations particularly among the
Ministries, Departments and Agencies
(MDAs).
President Muhammadu Buhari defined
corruption as the greatest form of
human rights violation. Since the
creation of modern public
administration in the country, there
have been cases of official misuse of
funds and resources. The rise of public
administration and the discovery of oil
and natural gas are two major events
seen to have led to the increase in
corrupt practices in the country.
The government has tried to contain
corruption through the enactment of
laws and the enforcement of integrity
systems, but success has been slow in
coming. Legislations alone are not
enough as they are often breached by
those who make them and those who
should implement them. In 2012, Nigeria
was estimated to have lost over $400
billion to corruption since
independence.
Corruption is very pervasive and at
times not too glaring to the public. It is a
systematic problem in our society and
thus should be addressed systematically
right from the root, stem and branches.
To curb it, children, youth and adults
must be given the power to distinguish
between the rights and the wrongs.
Schools should return to the teaching of
moral education to empower children
with the spirit of stewardship and
scholarship, while adults live exemplary
lives, reflecting truth, kindness, healthy
competition, dignity in labour and
integrity. It must be all hands on deck
within the society.
THE CHURCH
The fight against corruption in Nigeria is
the fight for the soul and survival of
Nigeria. Like cancer, corruption is
gradually killing the country. Now is the
time for all of us, as individuals and
institutions, to be active participant in
the fight. The Church is an important
and influential institution in our society.
Our main problems are moral, ethical
and attitudinal failure and
disorientation. The Church is an
institution that provides the moral and
ethical standards for us as believers.
For the Church to perform its roles
properly and adequately, it must firmly
strengthen itself by the Scripture. First,
God did not create a corrupt world. “God
saw all that He had made, and it was
very good” (Gen. 1:31). God created a
perfect world which man with his
depravity corrupted to the
disappointment and dissatisfaction of
God. “God saw how corrupt the earth
had become, for all the people on earth
had corrupted their ways” (Gen. 6: 12).
It was God’s displeasure with corruption
on earth that brought about Noah. “I am
going to put an end to all people, for the
earth is filled with violence because of
them” (Gen. 6: 13). And then post-flood
world of Noah was not corruption-free
for any length of time. But there are
examples and role models in both Old
and New Testaments to guide the Church
and the children of God on how to resist
and fight corruption.
In the Old Testament, the word “bribery”
is often used to refer to corruption. In
the book of Exodus, Moses gives the
following instruction: “Do not accept a
bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see
and twist the words of the
righteous” (Exo. 23:8). There can never
be true justice when corruption and
bribery are involved because the eyes
are closed to the truth. Taking a bribe is
obviously an offence against God, the
weak, the innocent and the community.
It is a sin. Solomon puts more
graphically when he says, “a wicked
man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert
the course of justice” (Pro. 17: 23).
Daniel was a paragon of integrity. Here
is the testimony, “The administrators
and the satraps tried to find grounds for
charges against Daniel in his conduct of
government affairs, but they were
unable to do so. They could find no
corruption in him, because he was
trustworthy and neither corrupt nor
negligent” (Dan. 6: 4). Greed is the root
cause of corruption but Solomon
counters the attitude. “Better a little with
righteousness than much with
injustice” (Pro. 16:5). Contentment is a
good virtue and a good attribute to be
cultivated. On a personal level, every
believer must guard against temptation,
“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin,
you who are spiritual should restore him
gently. But watch yourself, or you also
may be tempted” (Gal. 6: 1). “So, if you
think you are standing firm, be careful
that you don’t fall” (1 Cor. 10: 12).
In the book of Isaiah, we are told in
Chapter 5 Verse 23 that “they take bribes
to let the wicked go free and they punish
the innocent”.
These verses and many others (Ezek. 22
v 12, Ps. 15 vs 1 – 5) show us the
negative effects of corruption,
perversion of justice, shedding of blood,
exploitation, mal-distribution of a
nation’s resources, etc. which in totality
means the growth and development of
the society is arrested or stunted. Jesus
condemned in strong terms the
corruption and malpractices of the
Pharisees and the shopkeepers within
the Synagogue surroundings. And Jesus
was a victim of Judas Iscariot’s
corruption.
Based on my knowledge of the negative
impact of corruption in our society and
the determination to fight it, I had this to
say during my Inaugural Speech on May
29, 1999, “Corruption, the greatest single
bane of our society will be tackled head-
on at all levels. Corruption is incipient
in all human societies and in most
human activities. But it must not be
condoned… No society can achieve
anything near its full potential if it
allows corruption to become the full
blown cancer it has become in Nigeria…
There will be no sacred cows. Nobody,
no matter who and where, will be
allowed to get away with the breach of
the law or the perpetration of corruption
and evil”.
The fight against corruption was made a
top priority by my administration. Laws
were enacted while the appropriate
institutions, the ICPC and EFCC, were
created. We never lacked the political
will in supporting these institutions in
the struggle and fight against corruption.
Despite all these efforts, corruption is
still thriving in our country. In fact,
from the revelations we are hearing, it
seems the situation is worse than what I
met on ground in 1999. The inference is
that fighting corruption is not a one-off
or one regime affair; it is an all-time
and all-regime affair. If we relent, it
bounces back with vengeance.
There is no doubt that all our
institutions have been tarnished by the
brush of corruption. If the Church, as an
institution, does not take bribe or get
involved in other corrupt practice, the
behaviour of some of our men of God
leaves much to be desired. They not only
celebrate but venerate those whose
sources of wealth are questionable. They
accept gifts (offering) from just anybody
without asking questions. This gives the
impression that anything is acceptable
in the house God. But if Jesus can chase
out those buying and selling from the
temple with the declaration that, “My
house shall be called the house of prayer,
but ye have made it a den of
thieves” (Mat. 21: 12-13), then it is time
to stand up against corruption.
The Church needs to clear its Aegean
stable. The temple of God must be
cleanest to restore the holiness of the
church. Our present-day ‘money
changers’ and ‘merchants’ must be
chased out of the Church and put to
shame in the larger society.
The Church must embrace a more
inclusive definition of evangelism.
Evangelism must not only be limited to
winning souls to increase the crowd in
the Church but it must also embrace
discipleship, which is the cleansing of
the soul and heart towards righteous
living. The Bible tells us, “Righteousness
exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to
any people” (Pro. 14: 34).
The pulpit must be used to teach and
preach righteous and honest living.
While nobody wants the Church to
preach poverty, the message of
prosperity must be preached with
caution and moderation bearing in
mind the mission of Christ, “The Spirit
of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim good news to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners and recovery
of sight for the blind, to set the
oppressed free, to proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favour.” (Luk. 4: 18-19).
While miracles, signs and wonders are
the expectations of true believers, such
must be based on righteousness. To
preach that one can acquire wealth
without labour is not only deceitful; it is
a call to corruption. It is false preaching
and it is sinful. We must be careful in
believing and celebrating every
testimony of miraculous blessing, hence
we end up being hoodwinked into
celebrating corruption. The power of
faith must be developed as an
instrument of social change.
The Church must use its power to teach
the right values. One of our major
problems is the breakdown of our values
system. The Church, as an agent of
socialization, must be in the forefront of
rebuilding our value system and making
the individual to imbibe these values
and moral principles. As part of its
evangelical and spiritual mandate, the
Church must boldly speak out against
corruption in our society. The Church
must take to the high moral ground and
speak out against corrupt leadership and
poor governance. The Church must
embark on moral re-armament for the
Church and for the nation.
As the saying goes, charity begins at
home. The leaders in the Church must
live by example. It must be a case of ‘do
as I do, not do as I say’. While we shun
questionable characters and offerings,
the administration of the Church must
be open, and transparent. Accountability
must be our watchword. The Church is
not of this world simply because it is
expected to live by the highest standard
as prescribed in the word of God. The
Church is the light of the world. In our
conduct behaviours, activities and
programmes, we must let our light show
forth in its full brightness for all and
sundry to see and emulate. In actions
and deeds, the Church must stand up
against corruption.
The Church played an important role in
the development of this country. We are
now at another important historic
juncture requiring the Church to play a
leading role. This is a period of moral
and ethical rebirth. That role must be
played in praying, preaching and
teaching. The Roman Catholic in Nigeria
have produced a prayer against bribery
and corruption which is said by all
members, thus:
“Father in Heaven, you always provide
for all your creatures so that all may live
as you have willed. You have blessed our
country Nigeria with rich human and
natural resources to be used to your
honour and glory and for the well-being
of every Nigeria. We are deeply sorry
for the wrong use of these your gifts and
blessing through act of injustice, bribery
and corruption, as a result of which
many of our people are hungry, sick
ignorant and defenseless. Either, you
alone can heal us and our nation of this
sickness. We beg you, touch our lives
and the lives of our leaders and people
so that we may all realise the evil of
bribery and corruption and work hard
to eliminate it. Raise up for us God
fearing people and leaders who care for
us and who will lead us in the part of
peace, prosperity and progress. We ask
these through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.”
The Church has a very vital role to play
in curbing corruption in our society.
Morality must be preached at all times
in all places and by all people.
Baptist ethicist, Louise Kretzschmar of
South Africa, addressed the question of
leadership in Church and corruption on
July 10, 2014 in a Joint Session of the
Christian Ethics Commission and the
Theological Education and Leadership
Commission of the Baptist World
Alliance, meeting in Izmir, Turkey. In a
paper entitled, “Beyond Milk: The Moral
Failure and Ongoing Formation of Lay
Christian Leaders in the Church and
Society,” Kretzschmar noted that
corruption among people in power on
many levels is rampant. This reflects a
need for greater moral formation in
society, she said, and especially among
leaders who are Christians.
“Spiritual formation is initiated by God’s
grace,” Kretzschmar said. It “requires a
human response to the regular
prompting of the Holy Spirit, and results
in mature persons and communities of
faith. For Christian leaders, it forms the
foundation, motivation and principle
means of moral formation, which is the
development of moral virtue, character,
behaviour and lifestyle.”
How is ethical character to be formed in
leaders of business, education, politics,
and charitable organizations? Even
those who are Christians, she said, may
belong to “churches where they receive
very little in the way of discipleship,
support, intellectual input and spiritual
formation. As a result, they may have
developed a ‘split’ spirituality that
separates their faith from their
workplace activities.”
“Christian leaders need to be rooted in
the stability of a relationship with God
and the simplicity of a life that is
straightforward and open,” Kretzschmar
said. “This rootedness in a God-centered
life of righteousness can enable them to
face the confusion and conflicts that
arise as a result of morally-wrong
motives, relationships and actions and
to be peacemakers.”
The presentation above shows that even
in the Church, corruption is striving and
this makes it difficult for the Church to
really play her all-important role of
modeling the country in a morally-
evidenced manner.
The Church can help on this level by
raising people to mentor or coach
business and political leaders who are
Christians and encourage them to
continue to grow in their faith and
Christian maturity.
Christian leaders working on the
“macro” level should be aware of
national and international conflicts, the
impact of industry on the environment,
massive economic disparities, and
similar other socio-economic issues.
Consequently, it is very expedient for the
Church and particularly the leaders, to
speak truth to rulers and politicians.
Business values such as maximizing
short-term profits at the expense of
workers or the environment and the
society at large are in conflict with a
Christian norm of the stewardship of the
earth and what is good for society as a
whole and the Church should say so
stoutly.
Similarly, the Church should long for
children of God by saving Grace in
political leadership and those who are
credible in the eyes of the broader
electorate because they work to improve
the lives of citizens and neither hide
their faith nor use it to pander to the
interests of particular groups in order to
gain votes. If politics is left for bad
people, we will have bad politics and
bad government. The Church should
preach and publicise against cheating
the marginalized and neglected,
especially children and young people
who are vulnerable to violence and
exploitation.
Lastly, while we stress the role of the
Church, it must be seen that this great
very important organisation is a
microcosm of the entire society and
hence there is the need for the general
cleansing of the society. What is equally
important is strengthening participatory
democracy and transparency in
government. This will lead to stronger
institutions, which are then better
placed to respond to the crisis of
insurgencies. This is true for countries
across Africa and in other parts of the
world. All sectors must be involved in
the transformation: the National
Assembly, the Executive, the Judiciary,
the Private Sector, the Civil Society,
Communities, all and sundry. The
Church, and that includes the Mosque,
has a cardinal role to play.
If appropriate steps and strategies are
taken and leaders are transparent about
the corruption challenges that they face,
the trust of the public in the Nigerian
government and security forces would
be strengthened. These will help their
ability to address the very real
challenges and risks the country faces.
In conclusion, we have seen that
corruption was brought to the world
created by God. Man alone, by himself,
cannot get rid of corruption from the
world, he now needs the assistance of
God. Here must come the Society and the
Church with the Spirit of God to work
together to undo the harm that man has
done and continues to do to the perfect
work of God, the earth. There is no
substitute for the role of the Church in
fighting corruption.
I thank you for listening.