Opinion: Religion becoming FACE of Corruption in Nigeria

By Andre February 5, 2017

Religion is said to be defined as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.

Wikipedia also stated the Religion is a cultural system of behaviors and practices, world views,

sacred texts, holy places, ethics, and societal organisation that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called "an order of existence". There are so many types of religion in this present world which includes christianity, Islam, Jainism, Shinto, Sikhism, Rastafari, Paganism, and many more.

"Though we can't prove the existence of one (or many) god(s), we can provide evidence for the power of religion," reference to Psychology.

Corruption
A man is said to be corrupt when he engage yourself in dishonest or fraudulent activites, abuse of power when he finds himself such situation, and other illicit conducts.

How Religion is fast becoming the face of Corruption in Nigeria.
It is in Africa, using Nigeria as an example, you find a man who looted thousands, millions or billions of Naira depends on the level of access to public funds and will still seeks for his clergy's permission to build or finish a religious building all in the name of God.

(From christian perpective)
A funny reason why one of my close friend his old church was because he was INSTRUCTED (not persuaded) to bring his first fruit of the year to the church. This simply means giving his January salary of the year to the church as a salary earner. On my friends side, he wondered how he would survive the whole February if he surrenders the whole January salary knowing fully well that the later is always the longest month of the year. From the church side now, if it has 100 members and atleast 50 of them earn something at the end of the month, it will be a great harvest for that month.

Now, imagine a church with a member whose hard-earn monthly income is N1million, is he going to give out everything? Huh! Multiply that by 5 or10 or even more depends on the number of big men in the church. Remember, they will tell you that the money is for the man of God and not directly for the church itself. NO WONDER SOME SO CALL MEN OF GOD LIVES HOLLYWOOD LIFESTYLES.

A man will embezzle billions of naira and still pay tithes like millions, billions. Yet his pastor is fully aware that he's just a civil servant and will never question him. The church may even assign a special date for celerating him and announcing the size of the tithe publicly. Tell me how another innocent top civil servant like the church member will not wish to be celebrated like his counterpart, thereby tempted to emulate him to cut corner too or even do more.

Another aspect is members buying exotic cars for their pastors. I am not condemning this act, it's actually very good and also a means of showing gratitute to what God did for you through your man of God. But, pastors needs to check properly before collecting any gift.

Thinking aloud about the election period in Nigeria, it's no longer new to us that politicians goes to church once or twice in 4 years. They give exorbitant offerings to the church, buys magnificent gifts to pastors and members, promises completion of church buildings if under construction, of completed, they give funds for one thing or the other. Campeign inside church. Yet, Pastors will welcome that and even pray for them to do more term (if possible, pray 5 terms for them) forgetting that this same people refused to do anything for the masses that voted them in.

(Islam perspective)
How can an Imam who claims to have integrity lead prayer in a personal mosque own by someone who is currently under investigation by anti-graft agency. You know who he was before he join the train of politics, he worth nothing then but worths billions now. He earned that level within just 4 years. Even a deaf and blind person knows that he is corrupt.

There is a mosque close to my former abode, the former Imam was accused of embezzling a N1 million meant for completion of the building which was donated by a popular female politician in the country. Imagine this horrible accusation.

Until our religious leaders retrace their steps back to goodwill before this country can go forward, knowing fully well that NIGERIA IS SUCH A RELIGIOUS WORLD on its own.

Some of the false ones takes advantage of their followers because they know that all they love to hear is miracles while swimming inside rivers of laziness.

Have your say.