Church corruption: How about exposing the thieves in Aso Rock?

by Alexander O. Onukwue

On Fathers’ Day, June 18, 2017, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo called on Christian leaders to begin the anti-corruption fight in the Church.

He made the call at a special service organised to mark the event at the Aso Villa Chapel located inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Prof Osinbajo, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, emphasised the need for Christians to be awake to the fact that politicians have, over time, used the Church as the hiding place for ill-gotten wealth.

According to the Acting President, the Church should be committed to ostracising those who steal and those who live above their means. In his words, Church leaders should be able to say to those who steal, “we will not accept you here, we will expose you”.

As always, those were fine words from the Pastor-Politician Osinbajo, who has largely remained believable in the mind of Nigerians, owing to his openness and forthright stance on issues. However, being a key player in the State system which has made it possible for the perpetration of the ills that eventually happens in the Churches, it is now in his power to change it.

How else than to begin from the Presidency, where he is presently in-charge?

Nigerians still await any information to come forth from the report into Babachir Lawal and Ambassador Ayo Oke, six weeks after it was due for submission on the 8th of May. Playing by his words in the sermon, it would seem both men have only been “ostracised” from directly participating in Government through their suspension, but what about the part where they become “exposed”? Why has that taken so long, to lay down the required deterrent to other members of the political class who intend to be in Government?

Asking for the Church to reform its corruption-tolerating mechanisms is all well and good, but should the Presidency not reform its own as well? Considering the recent inability to successfully prosecute its first anti-corruption case, adding to the catalog of failures from previous administrations in this regard, should the corruption-tolerating structures under the control of the Presidency not be reformed and granted more independence? Would it not be progressive to see a semblance of the trembles of a Donald Trump at the possibility of indicting testimony from a James Comey play out in Nigeria, and how can this come to be if our FBIs are not independent bodies who should not have to be loyal to the President?

Prof Osinbajo essentially demanded that Church leaders should be independent of the influence of Politicians and the frequently irresistible bulging envelopes and bank alerts that they could receive for tithes and blessings. It would be nice to see him enforce that with the EFCC, ICPC, and CCT; you would notice these, like the Church, have something in common.

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