Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Federal Government to be transparent in its fight against corruption in order to retain the trust of the citizens of the country.
Obasanjo stated this while delivering a lecture on “The Role of The Church In The Fight Against Corruption ” at the Victory Life Bible Church in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The former president, who was represented by Dr. Femi Olajide, noted that it was high time Nigerian leaders started to take appropriate steps to wage a war against corruption in the country.
He said, “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.”
Obasanjo maintained that the fight against corruption in the country should not be left alone in the hands of the government , saying that Christian leaders also had a very big role to play in preaching against the menace.
“As part of its evangelical and spiritual mandate, the Church must boldly speak out against corruption in our society. The church must stand up against corruption. The Church must take to the high moral ground and speak out against corrupt leadership and poor governance. The church must embark on moral rearmament for the Church and for the nation,” he added.
The state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who described Obasanjo as “a renown apostle of the fight against corruption,” noted that the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences by the former president was a foundation on which the anti-corruption crusade was built.
Amosun, who was represented by the state’s Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, admonished church leaders to prevail on their members to endure the current economic recession and assured that the hardship would soon be a thing of the past.
The governor said, “The church is enjoined to work assiduously in its responsibility and encourage every persons that come this way to endure the current economic situation knowing full well that the trying time is temporary as we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
On his own part, the General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, who condemned the removal of history from school curriculum, pointed out that if Nigerian leaders did not find solution to corruption, it would destroy the country.
“Everybody agrees that if you don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. I strongly agree that religious leaders have a role to play in fighting corruption in the country.
“I don’t like the way that the study of history was removed from the school curriculum. It can lead to the growth of corruption and other social vices.
“Our leaders don’t want us to learn from our history; that is why they remove history from the curriculum and if you don’t learn from the past, how do you correct the present and how do we plan for the future?” he remarked.
