Like cancer, corruption is gradually killing Nigeria –Obasanjo

Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo has bemoaned the ravaging impact of corruption in Nigeria and said that like cancer, corruption is gradually destroying the country.

He said that corruption in the country has become a systematic problem and can only be addressed systematically beginning from the root, stem and branches.

Obasanjo stated this in a speech he entitled, “The Role of the Church in the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria” and presented at the convention of Victory Life Bible Church International (VLBC), Victory City, Abeokuta on Saturday.

“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”, Obasanjo said.

He further blamed the church for not playing its role in corruption fight in the country, admonishing the church to embrace the teachings of the Bible so as to adequately play its role in regards to curbing corruption.

Part of his speech read, “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.

“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.

“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.”

He went further to say that legislations alone will not be enough to curb corruption as they are often breached by those who make them and those who should implement them.

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While he described the Church as an important and influential institution in the society, he said the problems remains that there “are moral, ethical and attitudinal failure and disorientation” even
in the church.

He said, “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.

“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.

“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.”

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