Churches warn Nigeria to stamp out corruption or face consequences

Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria’s church leaders, concerned over the alarming levels of corruption in their country, have called on the nation’s new civilian government to take drastic steps to clean up the country.

The churches have previously warned that the widespread corruption must be rooted out. Now church leaders are speaking out louder than ever, following democratic elections and the end of military rule, widely seen as immoral and unjust. Speaking in Lagos this summer, Anglican Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, of Akure, said Nigeria needed a public investigation into allegations of corruption and that leaders who had looted the public purse should be punished.

The investigation was necessary because “injustice and unrighteousness must be effectively addressed if the nation is to achieve the desired peace and unity,” the bishop said, adding that those who had held positions of authority had also perverted the course of justice and subjected Nigerians to undue hardship.