OSHIOKHUE ENAMEKHE CHRISTOPHER

JD 6A AVIATION QUARTERS SITE II,OPPOSITE CONOIL PETROL STATION.

ALONG SAMARU/SOKOTO ROAD.ZARIA.

KADUNA STATE.

LIVING FAITH CHURCHa.k.a

WINNERS CHAPELP. O. Box, 121.

BESIDE HIGH COURT,KWANGILA,ZARIA.

KADUNA STATE.

+2348037325428, +2348098741147

don_kish@yahoo.com

THE WORSHIP PROJECT ZARIA

PRESENTS

MODULE 4: WORSHIP IN THE MARKET PLACE

(COL. 3:23, 24)

THEME:

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THE ROLE OF CHRISTIANS IN THE FIGHTAGAINST CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA.

November, 2008

HAVE CHRISTIANS IMPACTED POSITIVELY ON THE NIGERIANSOCIETY AS REGARDS THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION?

BY

OSHIOKHUE ENAMEKHE CHRISTOPHER

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LIVING FAITH CHURCHa.k.a

WINNERS CHAPELP. O. Box, 121 KWANGILA,

ZARIA.KADUNA STATE.

+2348037325428, +2348098741147

don_kish@yahoo.com

1a. Who is the Nigerian?Nigeria is located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea and hasa total area of 923,768 km² (356,669 mi²), making it the world's32nd-largest country (after Tanzania). It is comparable in size toVenezuela, and is about twice the size of California. It shares a4047 km (2515-mile) border with Benin (773 km), Niger (1497 km),Chad (87 km), and Cameroon (1690 km), and has a coastline of atleast 853 km. The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m(7,936 feet).Nigeria has a varied landscape. From the Obudu Hills in thesoutheast through the beaches in the south, the rainforest, theLagos estuary and savannah in the middle and southwest of the4

country and the Sahel to the encroaching Sahara in the extremenorth.Nigeria's main rivers are the Niger and the Benue which converge and empty into the Niger Delta, the world's largest river deltas.Nigeria is also an important centre for biodiversity. It is widelybelieved that the areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State,contain the world's largest diversity of butterflies. The drillmonkey is only found in the wild in Southeast Nigeria. The Nigerian is one who either by naturalization or by birth is acitizen of Nigeria. Nigeria has a population of about 148,000,000as estimated by the United Nations in 2007. The Nigerian naturallylove to eat foods a lot and are easily get pot bellied withoutminding of the side effects associated with their feeding habitsand this also contributes to majority of preventable deaths causedby heart failure. These factors mentioned here are numerous and arenot always negative. I'd like to give a list of some other factorsthat can be identified with Nigerians wherever you may find them;Nigerians are

Very religious Willing to make fast money Disposed to change Very forgiving Very committed to marital relationships Always willing to visit home if they have been away for a

long time. Others

Where ever you go on earth and introduce yourself as a Nigerian, you are either feared or honoured. Either any way of the two there’s a respect.

1b. If you observe the behaviour of a group of negros: What traits would help you spot the Nigerian among them?Traits that can help spot the Nigerian among a group of Negros are:

Ingenuity,Very innovative,Highly Intelligent,Forceful manner,Quick temper,

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Tough talk,Indiscipline,Always in a hurry,Cunny and dubious,Ruthlessness,

Blindly following the example of leading public figure either goodor bad also seems to be a national traitThe Nigerian can strive in the midst of opposition and always findaway out of any situation mostly with bribes and kick backsThe Nigerian is also plain or ironic and you can easily get theinformation he is passing across to you. The Nigerian is very suspicious and skeptical in helping strangersso as to avoid trouble most especially with the police.The Nigerian speaks his mother tongue when in a group of two ormore, or Pidgin English when they aren’t of the same dialect.Above all, corruption has registered itself as one or the majortraits the Nigerian possesses since 1985. These traits mentioned above, if harnessed properly and targetedaccurately will provide a strong antidote to the more corrupt andcriminally minded elements in our society. Unfortunately, ratherthan employing these streaks against evil men in our society, weencourage them, and direct these traits at the people who couldhave moved our beloved country ‘Nigeria’ forward.

2. Who is a Christian?A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheisticreligion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth aspresented in the New Testament and interpreted by Christians tohave been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.

"Christian" also means a member or adherent of a church or other organized group within Christianity.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Christian as "one whoprofesses belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion basedon the life and teachings of Jesus; one who lives according to theteachings of Jesus."

A comprehensive idea of who a Christian is, can be found in Matthewchapter 5, verse 1 to the end. {Matt 5:1-end}.

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3. Are Christians’ part of the fabric of the Nigerian society?Briefly discuss your answer.

As citizens of Nigeria who are Christians they automatically arepart of the fabric of the Nigerian society.When you look at the Nigerian society you realize Christians are agreat chunk of the nation and are said to be at least 51% of theNigerian society. In leadership positions, both in government,business, and legit world Christians are not left out. These makesChristians part of the fabric of the Nigerian society.

4. What do you understand the so-called ‘’Nigerian factor’’ to mean?It is the factor that causes many Nigerians to live their lives asit comes. In order words, it’s the factor that encourages vainliving, corruption, lawlessness and lack of solutions. It hascaused many to believe they cannot live better & more respectablelives. It has caused some to detest revolution subconsciously. ‘TheNigerian factor is simply, the Nigerian mentality’.Have you ever heard someone say, “…This is Nigeria” or “… no bethis country?” The pattern of thinking which many Nigerians haveadopted is that which enables them to give excuses for theirfailures. No one will tell you they are at fault in issuesconcerning the society and nation at large. But, it is our formerleaders that always get the blame. The painful part of it is thatthe few Nigerians that have made the decision to help Nigeria-byexamining faulty their lifestyles and making correspondingadjustments-consistently face discouragement.

5. What is corruption?Corruption is essentially termed as an "impairment of integrity,virtue or moral principle; depravity, decay, and/or an inducementto wrong by improper or unlawful means, a departure from theoriginal or from what is pure or correct, and/or an agency orinfluence that corrupts." Corruption, when applied as a technicalterm, is a general concept describing any organized, interdependentsystem in which part of the system is either not performing dutiesit was originally intended to, or performing them in an improper

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way, to the detriment of the system's original purpose.

‘Its terminological usage possesses connotations of evil, malignance, sickness, and loss ofinnocence or purity.’

Some specific types of corruption include:

Individual Corruption: Corruption that takes place primarilyin relations between individual citizens and publicofficials and authorities.

Business Corruption: Corruption that takes place primarilyin relations between enterprises/companies and publicofficials and authorities.

Political Corruption: Corruption that takes place in thehigher echelons of public administration and on a politicallevel. It’s the dysfunction of a political system orinstitution in which government officials, politicalofficials or employees seek illegitimate personal gainthrough actions such as cronyism, nepotism, patronage, andgraft. Political corruption is a specific form of rentseeking, where access to politics is organized with limitedtransparency, limited competition and directed towardspromoting narrow interests (rent seeking is not to beconfused with property rental). It’s also the use ofgovernmental powers by government officials for illegitimateprivate gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes,such as repression of political opponents and general policebrutality, is not considered political corruption. Neitherare illegal acts by private persons or corporations notdirectly involved with the government. An illegal act by anofficeholder constitutes political corruption only if theact is directly related to their official duties.

Institutional Corruption : as corrupt actions or policieswithin an organization that break the law, serve tosubjugate humans in unlawful manners, discriminate against

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humans based upon race, ethnicity, culture, or orientation,or serve to degrade other humans or groups for thatinstitution's own profit.

Financial Corruption: This can be said to be financialmismanagement or misappropriation of funds. Other forms offinancial corruption are bribery, extortion andembezzlement, which is outright thieving of entrusted funds.

Overall, corruption is an abuse of trust and power for selfenrichment, and occurs worldwide.

6. With emphasis on both government and private business, discuss how financial corruption relates to all other forms of corruptions using your own words. In the private sector, financial corruption increases the cost ofbusiness through the price of illicit payments themselves, themanagement cost of negotiating with officials, and the risk ofbreached agreements or detection. Where financial corruptioninflates the cost of business, it also distorts the playing field,shielding firms with connections from competition and therebysustaining inefficient firms. Financial corruption also generates economic distortions in thepublic sector by diverting public investment into capital projectswhere bribes and kickbacks are more plentiful. Government officialsmay increase the technical complexity of public sector projects toconceal or pave way for such dealings, thus further distortinginvestment.To some, private business in love with ostentatious (Pretentious displaymeant to impress others; boastful showiness) lifestyle may delve into corruptpractices to feed the lifestyle and also embrace a style of publicsleaze and lack of decorum.Political office holders may mismanage government funds so as toexpress loyalty and pay tributes to traditional rulers, godfathers, government officials’ etc. This can also lead to otherforms of corruption. Also, a political environment that excludesfavours towards elites or wealthy citizens may also be influencedby financial corruption, which may lead to political corruption.

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7.0 Trace the genesis and evolution of corruption in the Nigeriansociety.

“Nigeria is a country orchestrated to administrate and not to produce.” Pastor Chris Oyakilome {PhD}.

7.1 Pre-Independence and the First RepublicCorruption, though prevalent, was kept at manageable levels duringthe First Republic. However, the cases of corruption during theperiod were sometimes clouded by political infighting.

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first major political figureinvestigated for questionable practices. In 1944, a firmbelonging to Azikiwe and family bought a Bank in Lagos. Thebank was procured to strengthen local control of thefinancial industry. Albeit, a report about transactionscarried out by the bank showed though Azikiwe had resignedas chairman of the bank, the current chairman was an agentof his. The report wrote that most of the paid-up capitalsof the African Continental Bank were from the EasternRegional Financial Corporation.

In western Nigeria, politician Adegoke Adelabu wasinvestigated following charges of political corruptionlevelled against him by the opposition. The report led todemand for his resignation as district council head.

In the Northern region, against the backdrop of corruptionallegations leveled against some native authority officialsin Bornu. The Northern Government enacted the CustomaryPresents order, to forestall any further breach ofregulations.

Later on, it was the British administration that was accusedof corrupt practices in the results of elections whichenthroned a Fulani political leadership in Kano, reportslater linking the British authorities to electoralirregularities were discovered.

7.2 Gowon AdministrationCorruption for the most part of Gowon's administration was kept away from public view until 1975. However, some informed officials voiced concerns, Gowon critics labeled his governors as misguided 10

individuals acting like lords overseeing their personal fiefdom (anarea over which a person has influence or authority). He was viewedas timid, in terms of being decisive against corrupt elements in his government.

During the administration, two major individuals from themiddle belt of the country were accused of corruption. TheNigeria government controlled newspapers: the Daily Timesand the New Nigerian gave great publicity to denunciationsof the administration of Gowon, and Federal CommissionerJoseph Tarka by the two critics. A situation which maysignal a cause for exigent action on corruption.

In 1975, a corruption scandal surrounding the importation ofcement engulfed his administration. Many officials of thedefense ministry and the central bank of Nigeria whereinvolved in the scandal. Officials were later accused offalsifying ships manifest and inflating the amount of cementto be purchased.

7.3 Murtala and Obasanjo Administration In 1975, the administration of Murtala Mohammed later went

on and made reformist changes. After a coup putsch (aplotted revolt or attempt to overthrow a government, esp.one that depends upon suddenness and speed.) brought himinto power, the government sacked a large number ofgovernment officials and civil servants, many of whom hadbeen criticized for the misuse of power they wielded underthe largely uneducated military regime of Gowon.

Obasanjo misused government powers for repression ofactivist, and also the use of general police/militarybrutality in the killing of Nigerian citizens. An examplewas the killing of Nigerian students both in Zaria and Ife.

During Obasanjo’s reign as a military administrator, 2.4billion U.S dollars was missing and a panel of enquiry wasset up to investigate. Some government officials wereindicted, but a musical legend and an activist although nowlate said Obasanjo knows a lot about the missing funds.“I dare say and this is subject to verification, the looting of public treasury which took placebetween 1966 and 1975 was a child’s play compared to what happened between 1976 and 1979.”

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Professor Abdulahi Mahadi, CON Kaduna State News Scope: Monthly News Review. August 2006 Vol. 3 No. 8Page 25

7.4 Shagari and Buhari Administration Corruption was deemed pervasive during the administration ofShagari.

A few federal buildings mysteriously went on fire afterinvestigators started probe on the finances of the officialsworking in the buildings.

In 1981, a Rice shortage, led to accusations of corruptionagainst the NPN government. The shortages and subsequentallegations were precipitated, by protectionism. After hiselection the Nigerian government decided to protect the localrice farmer from imported commodities. A licensing system wascreated to limit the amount of rice import. However,accusations of favoritism and government supported speculationwere leveled against many officials.

Late 1985, investigations into the collapse of the defunctJohnson Mathey Bank of London shed some light on some of theabuses carried on during the second republic. The bank actedas a conduit to transfer hard currency for some party membersin Nigeria. A few leading officials and politicians hadamassed large amounts of money. They sought to transfer themoney out of the country with the help of Asian importers byissuing import licenses.

In 1985, cross sections of political gladiators were convictedof different corrupt practices under the government of GeneralBuhari. However, the administration itself was involved in afew instances of lapsed ethical judgment. It is on record thatthe General himself was on his way to removing a Nigeriancolonel from the army before his exit from power, though theremoval may signal a hard-line on corruption, it is a far cryfrom the 10-22 years of imprisonment, politicians underShagari were sentenced to.

7.5 Babangida AdministrationHe took over and came to power in 1985 as Head of state. Histactics of using money and corruption to solve every problem has

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destroyed the moral fabric of the Nigerian society. Rather thanspeak out against the scandalous act, Nigerians simply copied himand succeeded in bringing corruption to the door step of each andevery Nigerian.

He was believed to be a very smart president and was generallybelieved to be very corrupt. It was in his reign that advancedfee fraud became pronounced in Nigeria because he allowed itto give his government some so called ‘peace’.

It’s been speculated that he knows a lot about the death of areknown Nigerian journalist {Dele Giwa}.

In 1993, the most peaceful, free and fairest elections wasconducted in Nigeria and a winner was announced, only for itto be annulled for no just cause.

7.6 Abacha AdministrationThe death of General Sani Abacha revealed the global nature ofgraft. French investigations of bribes paid to government officialsto ease the award of a gas plant construction in Nigeria revealedthe global level of official graft in the country. Theinvestigations led to the freezing of accounts containing about$100 million United States dollars.

He also misused government powers for repression of activist,and also the use of general military brutality in the killingof Nigerian citizens. The likes of Kudirat Abiola and KenSaro-Wiwa, and also the assassination attempt on Pa AbrahamAdesanya and Chief Alex Ibru.

In 2000, two years after his death, a Swiss banking commissionreport indicted Swiss banks for failing to follow complianceprocess in allowing family and friends of Abacha access toaccounts and depositing amounts totaling $600 million USdollars into the accounts. The same year, a total of more than$1 billion US dollars were found in various accountsthroughout Europe.

7.7 Abdulsalam AdministrationHe was believed to be a saint and only stayed in office for oneyear. During this period some of the Abacha’s loot was recoveredbut immediately after his exit the loots were said mot to be found.

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7.8 Obasanjo AdministrationHis re-election in 2003 gulped so much money which was meant fordevelopmental projects. Examples are, 300 billion naira meant forroad rehabilitation and about 90 million dollars meant forenvironmental protection for plateau state was used.His regime witnessed a bribery scandal of $214 million that rockedthe National Identity Card Scheme. Those directly involved are;

Alhaji Husseni Akwanga, former Minister of Labour andProductivity.

Chief Sunday Afolabi former Interior Minister. Christopher Orungue Agidi, former Director Department of

National Civic Registration {DNCR}. Ms. R. O. Akerele, former Permanent Secretary Ministry of

Internal Affairs. Niyi Adelagun, Business Partner of SAGEM SA in Nigeria. Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, former Secretary Peoples Democratic

Party {P.D.P}.During this period, a former Inspector General of Police was triedand sentenced to prison for embezzlement of the Nigerian policefunds.His reign saw to it that corruption was fought to an extentbelieved was targeted at those against his reign or policies. Sahara reporters uncovered the existence of the real list submittedby the EFCC to the Presidency. Elements within the presidencydoctored the final list that was released to the media afterexcluding names of presidential favorites. The original listcontained names of four presidential candidates namely:1. Alhaji Abubakar Atiku.2. Orji Uzor Kalu.3. Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto State) Accused of deducting localgovernment funds, diversion of public funds and abuse of office.4. Goodluck Jonathan -Accused of looting Bayelsa State funds to thetune of N8.2 billion-case under investigation as at 2007.

 Amongst governorship candidates the following names were includedin the original list:

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1. Justus Olugbenga Daniel (Ogun State) - Accused of embezzlementand economic sabotage,; fraudulently obtained waiver on importationof vehicles and iron rods which he later sold to Globe Motors (839vehicles and 10,000 metric tons of iron was sold to Chief Anumudu)for N300 million. He was also accused of breach of code of conduct(found to operate foreign accounts) and money laundering. GlobeMotors agreed to refund N300 million to the Federal Government.

2. Chief Olusegun Agagu (Ondo State)-Accused of conspiracy, abuseof office, criminal diversion of public funds and stealing.Illegally deducted a total sum of N2.4 billion being 40% of oilderivation fund meant for Ondo State’s OSOPADEC (Ondo State OilProducing Areas Development Commission). Gov. Olusegun Agagu was also indicted by Nigerian AirwaysLimited judicial panel (White Papers); to refund. $3.2 millionNigerian Airways loot, (Sahara reporters, New York). According torecommendation 32 and 33 of the White Paper adopted by PresidentObasanjo from the panel, Chief Olusegun Agagu was required to"refund the sum of $3.5 million to the national treasury being sumshe stole from the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) being partsettlement of the botched lease purchase agreement". In all,persons indicted by the Justice Nwazota’s panel were required torefund $66.3 million being sums of monies traceable to theirindividual accounts.

3. Otunba Alao Akala (Oyo State) ‘Case of abuse andmisappropriation of Oyo State government funds’. Also uncovered was the fraud perpetrated by the current OyoState governor, Otunba Alao Akala. They include a rice import scamin 2003 in which Alao Akala, then deputy governor of Oyo State, wasresponsible for importing 360,000 bags of rice through an importwaiver granted by the presidency. Though a bag of rice sold at aretail price of N4, 200 in Lagos, Otunba Alao Akala claimed theywere imported for N5, 250 per bag. The total sum of this scam wasN1.8 billion; the proceeds were shared between Otunba Alao Akalaand late Chief Lamidi Adedibu who facilitated the granting of theimport waiver from the presidency. While in power as the illegal governor of Oyo State, Otunba Akala

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was engaged in a book publishing scam. Sources at the EFCC toldSaharareporters that a major book publishing outfit, MacMillanpublishers were involved and had been invited by the EFCC toexplain why they helped Otunba Alao Akala forge vouchers which putthe publishing of books that ordinarily sold for N350 at N750,which allowed Otunba Alao Akala to pocket N756 million from thedeal. The contracts were initially for 1.8 million primary schooltextbooks in mathematics, English Language and Integrated Sciences. Further frauds were also discovered in the computerization ofpayrolls for teachers and civil servants in Oyo State. Though theentire computerization project was done at once at the sum of N20million, Otunba Alao Akala was said to have broken it into twonamely;

Computerization of Primary school teachers payroll which heclaimed cost N20 million;

Computerization of Secondary School teachers and CivilServants payroll claimed to cost N182 million.

The governor was however exposed when it was discovered that OyoState had more primary school teachers than secondary school andcivil servants combined together. While there are 25,000 primaryschool teachers in the state, there are only 14,000 secondaryschool teachers and 10,500 civil servants in the state. Therefore,it didn’t make logical sense that N182 million was spent tocomputerize the payroll of secondary school teachers and civilservants while N20 million was spent on 25,000 primary schoolteachers. It was said that only N20 million was expended on theentire computerization project. Also traced to Otunba Alao Akala is another N780 million roadconstruction contracts he re-awarded to construction companiesowned by late Chief Lamidi Adedibu and the “purchase" of a re-furbished generator already paid for by Oyo State in 2004, thoughthe generator was originally purchased for N1.4 million in 2004.EFCC sources said it re-appeared in the state expenditure in 2006as a newly purchased electrical generator for N20 million after thepainting was changed.

4. Bukola Saraki (Kwara State) ‘A case of embezzlement of formerSociete Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN).’

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  Also included in the original list is Senator Musiliu OlatundeObanikoro who was accused of lying under oath over his real age.   The Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Danjuma Goje was also listedas being involved in money laundering, stealing and embezzlement,

  Senator Ndoma Egba a close ally of President Obasanjo was accusedof abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds.

7.8.1 Public institutions perceived as corrupt in 2003The following list contains the institutions perceived as the mostcorrupt in Nigeria. It is culled from the Nigeria Survey andCorruption Survey Study, Final Report (June 2003) Institute forDevelopment Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (IDR, ABUZaria).

Nigeria (as of 2003) Rating Institution1 Nigerian Police2 Political Parties3 National and State Assemblies4 Local and Municipal Governments

5 Federal and State Executive Councils

6 Traffic police and FRSC7 PHCN

7.9 Yar’Adua’s Administration

He was inaugurated as the President of the Federal Republic ofNigeria on the 29th, May 2007. On assumption of office he startedwith a zero tolerance to corruption. But towards the end of year2007, financial misappropriation scandal rocked the Federal Houseof Representatives which lead to the removal of the former speakerMrs. Patricia Etteh. In the first few months of his reign, the ministry of healthwitnessed a shake up, due to financial embezzlement involving theformer minister for health and that for state, and the chair personon health committee (senate) Iyabo Bello-Obasanjo (Mrs.).17

8 What are the causes of corruption in the Nigerian society?

The root causes of corruption in Nigeria are believed to be attributed to a certain number of aspects, these include: Lack of integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, especially at all levels of government has been identified as factors responsible for the endemic corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society over the years.

The persistence of traditional values which conflict with therequirements for a secular way of life,

Poverty, Hunger, Improper policies, Disrespect for regulations or legal requirements, Inadequate leadership skills {Unqualified or unmotivated

personnel}, Ineffective supervision, Contempt for constitutional requirements, Great inequality in the distribution of wealth. Poor compensational System. Uniform personnel, Federal Civil

Servants. Politicians receive more, what do they reallycontribute to the development of the society?

Purposelessness; living for nothing and having nothing to diefor. When you find a purpose you wouldn’t be looking forrewards and gratifications before you carry out yourassignment.

GreedOther causes of corruption in Nigeria are god fatherizm, ethnicityand pressures on government officials by friends and kinsmen.Friends and kinsmen seeking favour from officials may imposedifficult strains on the ethical disposition of the official. Manykinsmen may see a government official as holding necessary avenuesfor their personal survival or gain. However, the bottom linesurmised from the views of most Nigerians is that corruption is aproblem that has to be rooted out.

9. What are the effects of corruption in the Nigerian society?

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Some times ago I was asked, what are the effects or how deep is thecorruption in Nigeria? All I said after a deep thought was“unquantifiable and fathomless.”

In the worst cases, corruption has costs lives in the Nigeriasociety. An example is the killing of some Nigerians in Udi villageof Bayelsa State in 1999. The collapse of buildings in places likeLagos, Abuja has also cost lives. Pipe line vandalisms andexplosions have also cost lives.

It has affected the health of many Nigerians. An example, is theworld biggest pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer alleged criminalapplication of a killer-drug known as ‘Trovafloxacim’ more than adecade ago, on 96 Nigerian children. The drug allegedly terminatedlives of many, with others suffering various permanentdisabilities. These are children of whom it was hoped to be leadersof tomorrow.

The Nigerian society has lost so much money to corruption. Theeconomic and financial crime commission in a press release statedthat Nigeria has lost over $500 billion dollars since the inceptionof corruption in Nigeria.

Corruption in Nigeria has also facilitated environmentaldegradation. Nigeria's Delta region, home of the large oilindustry, experiences serious oil spills and other environmentalproblems. We have legislations to protect the environment; itcannot be enforced because the officials can be easily bribed orhave been bribed.

Corruption has poses a serious development challenge. In thepolitical realm, it undermines democracy and good governance byflouting or even subverting formal processes as observed in thegeneral elections of 2007.

Corruption in the Nigerian public administration results in theunfair provision of services. More generally, corruption erodes theinstitutional capacity of government as procedures are disregarded,

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resources are siphoned off, and public offices are bought and soldas in privatization. At the same time, the effect of corruption inNigeria has undermines the legitimacy of government and suchdemocratic values as trust and tolerance.

Corruption in Nigeria has caused a reduction in quality of goodsand services available to the public, as some companies could cutcorners to increase profit margins. Corruption effects investment,economic growth, and government expenditure choices; it alsoreduces private investment.

Corruption in Nigeria has also generated economic distortions inthe public sector by diverting public investment into capitalprojects where bribes and kickbacks are more plentiful.

Some bureaucracies only work if they are enticed by additional"rewards". In any case, Grand and petty corruption in Nigeria ismaking life more difficult and out-rightly threatens the lives ofmany Nigerians and in countless other cases, it costs the freedomof Nigerians home and abroad.

10. Do you think there is a difference between members of the human racewho are citizens of the developed world and those who are citizen ofdeveloping countries such as Nigeria? Please briefly give reasons foryour answer.

Corruption occurs, as earlier mentioned, in nearly all parts of theworld to varied degrees, but is much more prevalent in lessdeveloped and developing countries.Sub-Saharan countries, except for the noticeable examples ofBotswana, Namibia and South Africa, lie at the bottom of the pileand their Scandinavian counterparts make up the top of thelistings. The higher occurrence of corruption in developingcountries does not mean that Western countries are immune to suchpractices, large size scandals in France, the United States, orGermany have appeared in the media to show this.To add to this, it must be said that the developed worlds developan organised type of corruption that makes it seem right. It might

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be hypocritical for one to say that corruption is more pronouncedin the developing worlds. Mostly in Africa, people are sincere andstraight-forward. They will like to tell you "give me this and it'sdone", they don't care whether they know you or not, whether youare a business partner or not but in the developed world it isdifferent. The same things (corruption) that happens in Africaunder broad day light happens in the developed world also but notunder broad day light. That's the difference.

11. Is corruption a wide spread disease of the black race? Briefly give reasons for your answer.

Virtually all the countries in Africa from the government to the private sectors you realize corruption has eaten very deep. Some examples are as follows; Mobutu Sese Seko (October 14, 1930 – September 7, 1997) of Zaire whoembezzled over $5 billion USD from his country, ranking him as thethird-most corrupt leader in the past two decades and the mostcorrupt African leader during the same period.

Another example is our own, General Sani Abacha {Sept. 20, 1943 toJune 8, 1998 (aged 54)} who according to post-Abacha governmentalsources, some $3 or $4 billion USD in foreign assets has beentraced to Abacha, his family and their representatives. Abacha waslisted as the world's fourth most corrupt leader in recent historyby Transparency International in 2004. Abacha had also literallylaughed in the face of any possible sanctions by the United Statesagainst his government, and that all American blacks have a dualloyalty to African leaders.

A recent example was the issue of corruption leveled against ThaboMbeki of South-Africa, when he was the president of South-Africa.This was what led to his exit as president of South-Africa.

With all these I can say “Yes to a very large extent. Corruption is adisease of the black race and it’s eating up the black race faster than HIV/AIDS.”

12. Does the Church (body of Christians) have the power to influence

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the destiny of Nigeria? Briefly defend your answer.

What happened in Acts chapter 5 verses 1 to 11 are a pointer thatthe Church has the power to influence the destiny of Nigeria; mybeloved country.The church has power to influence the destiny of Nigeria becauseonly in the church can the fear of the Lord be instilled, and itgoes a long way to help the nation when her members (Christians)become leaders tomorrow. The church been described as salt and light in Matthew, 5:13-16 byJesus Christ, proves that the church has the power to influence thedestiny of Nigeria.Pastor Sam Adeyemi of the Day Star Ministries said and I quote;“We have prayed enough, now I think it’s time we teach our members {Christians} therudiments of leadership, what makes a nation prosper, and the adverse effect of corruptionin our society and nation; so that when they become leaders tomorrow we can have peace.”

13. Do you think the church (body of Christians) has impactedpositively on the Nigerian society such that her influence hassignificantly helped in reducing corruption in the Nigeria society?Please give reasons for your answer.

Not really; because when you check on the list of corrupt personsand leaders you realize that more than half are the so called‘Christians’ who probably were born in church. Infact a corruptgovernment official who was an ex-governor was said to have been aleader in one of the re-known churches in Nigeria. Another reason for this is the “materialistic mentality of Sodom” the churchhas acquired through the strange and unbiblical teachings currentlysweeping through the church. If we must make the impact God wantsthe church to make we have to go back to biblical Christian valuesand develop strong Christians who can not be compromised. These arethe kind of Christians that God is looking for to impact positivelyon the Nigerian society.

14. Are there Christians who do not have the confidence to transactbusiness with fellow Christians? Give reasons for your answer.

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To a very large extent I will say yes. The story of Cain and Abelin Genesis chapter 4 verses 1 to 8 (Gen. 4: 1-8) shows that theheart of man is desperately wicked who can know it.

Another touching example is where a pastor connived with somepersons to kidnap a child belonging to a member of his church anddemanding for a ransom of about nine hundred thousand naira (N900,000). Then tell me, who on earth will want to transact businesswith members of his church?

There is this issue in one of the known churches in Nigeria at itsKaduna branch where a said Deacon, had business transactions with amember of the same church who happen to be a bank manager. Thebusiness was doing very well. After some time the Deacon stoppedgiving the manager feed back on the business and later denied himhis own benefit of the business.

These are some of the numerous stories. All this creates disbelief,fear, lack of trust, and lack of love between Christians. Thisought not to be so.

15. THERE ANY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORSHIP AND A SOCIETY FREE OFCORRUPTION? BRIEFLY DISCUSS YOUR ANSWER.

Yes.In Christianity, worship has been considered by most Christians tobe the central act of Christian identity throughout history as thepersonal act of lifting one's mind and heart to God. Many Christiantheologians have defined humanity as homo adorans, that is, the"worshipping human," and thus the worship of God is at the very coreof what it means to be human. The desire for God is written in thehuman heart, because humans are created by God and for God; and Godnever ceases to draw humanity to himself.

True worship is not confined to singing in church or open praise(although these things are both good and we are told to do them inthe Bible), but it is the heartfelt acknowledgment of God and all

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His power and glory in the things we do. To truly worship God, wemust know Him and not be ignorant of His good and glorious nature(Acts 17:23). In a nutshell, worship is to glorify and exalt God;to show our loyalty and admiration to our Heavenly Father!

God told Moses, “I am the Lord, who heals you.” This Hebrew word,rapha, is a powerful word. Not only does it mean ‘to heal’ in the senseof a disease, but it also means “to completely repair or restore”. When anantique car fanatic sets out to restore an old car he doesn’t justrepaint it, throw some fuzzy dice on the mirror, and let it go. Herestores it to its full capacity. This is what God means when hesays “I am the Lord, who heals you.” He will restore you, your life,society and nation to the condition that it would be, free ofcorruption, pain, disease, and want.

God spoke almost this same word again at the dedication ofSolomon’s temple. 2 Chronicles 7:14 states, “If my people….would humblethemselves, and pray and seek my face, {worship} and turn from their wicked ways, then Iwill hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” The differencebetween this word and the word given in Exodus 15 was that by thistime in the days of David and Solomon, Israel had fallen into sinnumerous times. By this time leprosy and various diseases hadalready come on those who had sinned – even Moses’ own sister. ManyIsraelites were struck dead because of their sin, and the Ark ofGod had even been stolen from the Israelites—all because of sin.But God wants His people to know that no matter what state you findyourself in, no matter how low you may have fallen into corruption(sin), you can call on the name of Jesus, and He is waiting torestore us to our rightful place as a nation free of corruption.

16. What advice do you have for Church leaders on how the church (bodyof Christians) can better impact upon the Nigerian society asregards the fight against corruption?

“Leadership is an interactive conversation that pulls people toward becoming comfortable with the language of personal responsibility and commitment.”

Leadership in church is not just for people at the top (Pastors,

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Reverend, and Bishops.) Everyone can learn to lead (in churchdepartments and units) by discovering the power that lies withineach one of us to make a difference and being prepared when thecall to lead comes. Albert Einstein once said, "We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles

but no personality. It cannot lead; it can only serve."

Church leaders should know this, and science has discoveredemotionality's deeper purpose: the timeworn mechanisms of emotionallow two human beings to receive the contents of each other'sminds. Emotion is the messenger of love; it is the vehicle thatcarries every signal from one brimming heart to another.

As a church leader, lead and manage from within-within, and notover your subjects. Leadership means, of course, being in arepresentative role. Don't represent a pressure group or anindividual viewpoint, but seek the mind of Christ through biblicaland theological understandings. Therefore, keep thinking andstudying not only the word of God but also the society in which welive in, on how to move it forward.

As church leaders we must lead the church back to the issues ofcharacter if we must win this battle as regards corruption. A goodpercentage of teachings in the bible are on character- relatedissues but it is some other portion that speaks of blessings andmiracles that we devote our entire energy on. If we can go back tothe issues of character and morals, this nation will never remainthe same again.As a church leader listen to all the people, but manage fromwithin--not as the authoritarian boss, not by controlling ordominating, and certainly not by abdicating leadership, but byrelating to other people, and by choosing the right people andsupporting them. As a church leader, if correction is needed and a tough thing needsto be said, you're still the one to do it. But all of this must bedone under the lordship of Christ, because he is the one for whomultimately you work.As a church leader, be wise as a serpent, be harmless as a dove.

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Give people the benefit of the doubt regarding their sincerity, butkeep your wits about you; they might not be as truthful as theyseem.As a church leader, be courageous, be your own person. If you knowthat you are called of God for the service that you perform, workwithin the system, but within that system make new decisions andcut new paths. Do not be afraid to venture into new areas andchallenge the system sometimes, because much of it is human, andyou're working to make it divine.As a church leader, be faithful to your understanding of theheavenly vision; if you are not obedient to it, you may becomedisillusioned. But if you remember your call, you will be able toovercome the disappointments and the mistrust, and you will alsosee the side of sincerity, and of joy. You need the strength thatcomes only from God, the strength to be able to say, I can do allthings through Christ who strengthens me.As a church leader, be ready to think new thoughts, do new things.Don't just look back and try to do the same thing. Recognize thatit is a new kind of world. The word "ecumenical" is now not just achurchly word; it means everything in the world. You've got tostretch. At the same time, with all the new connections we makewith all our new kinds of communications, remember that the core ofhuman nature is the same. As church leaders, demonstrate greater sense of responsibility anddrive on achieving your set goals.

17. What advice do you have for all Christians as regards the fightagainst corruption in Nigeria?Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.

Isaiah 35:3-4To make Nigeria realize her true potentials, we must examineourselves individually.As Christ’s church, let us be careful how we criticize because manyof us are part of the problem. If what some of us do in our officesor place of work is revealed, we will cover our faces in shame.As Christians God knows the environment where He has planted you

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and me; He will stand by us and supply all the needed grace as welook unto Him on a daily basis to equip us as regards the fightagainst corruption in Nigeria.To be effective in reaching this nation with the fight againstcorruption, we have to drop our “holier than thou” attitude.Let all Christians and those who see faults in our leadershipsystem, work on themselves too. I think we should start withourselves. If we decide to make a change, others will join us whenthey see our diligence, persistence and perseverance. Let’s be good citizens, be hopeful Nigerians. You don’t build ahouse by laying blocks from the top. Where will the foundation be?Will it be on the air?To build a great, well-structured Nigeria, free of corruption. Thefoundation-as Christians we (the Nigerian people, citizens, masses,workers and students) should all contribute something towards arevolutionary change every day.Our future as a nation depends on many things, but mostly on us(Christians). Let us put an end to bribery and corruption,selfishness, self-centeredness, exam malpractices, inter-religionsstrife and tribal unrest. Let us begin with ourselves asChristians, so we can make this nation realize her goals.

Let all Christian youths of this nation prepare for glory. Let usprepare ourselves for a perfect kind of effective leadership. Letus build up our individual selves to possess efficient leadershipskills that hate indiscipline and incompetence with passion. By sodoing, we will be able to correct the mistakes our erstwhileleaders have made and keep making. After all, it’s ourpersonalities and traits as Christians that would get better. As Christians we shouldn’t be discouraged in the fight againstcorruption in our dear country. Our diverse tribes and ethnicgroups shouldn’t be a barrier to a revolution. Rather, they shouldbe one of our means in impacting our great nation. Or, who said wecannot live peacefully, wonderfully together as one, and have acorrupt free society? Never believe it but always dismiss it!Decide today, to begin making revolutions wherever you go. Keep thefires of transformation burning in you as Christians and let therebe a drastic revolution.

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As Christians the bible says we are light and salt of the world.What is the work of salt? It preserves. Today corruption isravaging the nation and causing it to rotten. We as salts shouldpreserve it from further decay. Salt also adds taste to a meal whenapplied. If we therefore act as we should, we shall make Nigeriatasteful. Light drives away darkness and shows people the way. Thatis what God called us (Christian) to do.The church is the only hope of this nation because the problem ofNigeria is essentially “moral insanity” and we as Christians are inbetter position to address it. That’s why we have to be strongenough to go in amongst them and refuses to be negativelyinfluenced. Like Daniel, in the bible he purpose in his heart notto eat the king’s meal (Daniel, 1:8). And God granted him favourand tender love and towards the end he excelled and was a ruler ina strange land. “Dear to be a Daniel.”The words of the wise man Solomon, “A good name is more desirablethan great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold.”Proverbs, 22:1. These are some biblical values God is callingChristians back to in order for us to make the impact God hascalled us to make in this nation. Let me conclude with the words of the Speaker, Federal House ofAssembly Nigeria: Rt. Hon. Demaji Bankole“The future of our grand fathers was marred by slavery; the future of our fathers wasmarred by military rule. Our future is being marred by corruption, but the future of ourchildren we must protect”. Never give up on this fight against corruption because we shall winin this fight. Yes we canNever give up! Never give up!! Never give up!!! We shall win in this fight. Yes we can.

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Kaduna State News Scope: Monthly News Review. August 2006 Vol. 3 No. 8 Page 25

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