Bishop accuses Nigerians of using churches to promote corruption

CHINEDU WOSU, YENAGOA

Renowned Catholic Bishop of Bomadi Vicariate, Most Rev. Dr. Hyacinth Oroko Egbebo has accused some Nigerians of using the churches to promote corruption.

The Cleric equally accused church leaders of not speaking the truth to the government and to those in leadership positions.

“They are not even speaking the truth to the government and to those who really govern us so that they will leave their corrupt ways in order to invest in the government of this country

The clergy also said those clamouring for the restructuring of the country are misplacing priorities and not addressing the challenges facing the nation, stressing that restructuring the country without exterminating
corruption in our national life would not take the nation anywhere.

The Bishop spoke in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital during an interview with newsmen on the occasion of his Episcopal visit to St. Patrick’s Parish, Ovom, to administer sacrament of confirmation to the Catholic faithful in the parish.

He said other than the agitation for restructuring, Nigerians need a change of heart in all ramifications to move the country forward.

“We need a change of heart. Nigerians have been so corrupt that even if you put two brothers together they will do each other in because they are not placing God first.

‘Unfortunately, they are using even the churches to promote this corruption and that is a sad thing. Church leaders are rich and they don’t want to care about the poor people.

“They are not speaking on behalf of them; they are not even speaking the truth to the government and to those who really govern us so that they will leave their corrupt ways in order to invest in the Government of this country”, the Bishop lamented.

According to the Bishop, God who is not a respecter of persons has always dealt with corrupt people citing the case of Sepnath in the Bible that God pushed out of his position because of his corrupt ways and replaced him with Eliachim.

“The gifts of God to this country are so enormous, but we have spent them in a very corrupt way. We have enriched only a few people and the vast numbers of people are suffering.

“I will like religious leaders to speak to those who govern us by telling them that they are corrupt and their corruption is killing us.

Speaking on the sacrament of confirmation that he administered to over 200 worshippers in the church, Bishop Egbebo said it was a conferment of the gift of the spirit upon the recipients so that they will become very committed to the Catholic faith.

“What the church expects from the celebrants is more dedication to the faith, more involvement in the activities of the church and more so, by the way they live to show that Christ is King; Christ is the Savior so that by their lives they will bring many more people to Christ.

The Bishop said,“That is what I expect them to do in their work places, in the schools they go to and wherever they are, to be shining examples of Christ’s witnesses to the world as He said we are the light to the nations, and salt to the earth.