By Chuks Eke
Anglican Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ndubuisi Obi has expressed disappointment that under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch, corruption has been taken to the next level, an indication that his regime is unarguably the most corrupt ever witnessed in the annals of Nigerian history.
In his presidential address at the just concluded Synod of the Diocese, Bishop Obi declared: “From NNPC to the political parties down to the institutions, establishments and all the parastatals of the federal government, corruption is the order of the day”.
” Corruption is why our universities were shut down for several months now and the ruling party is busy telling us to vote for them again so that they can continue from where they stopped”
“Corruption is why the PMS, gas and kerosene prices keep skyrocketing. Corruption is why the naira is one of the weakest currencies in Africa, if not in the world today. Corruption is the reason the two leading political parties cannot produce presidential candidates of Igbo extraction. Corruption is the reason for the emergence of their various candidates as Nigerians watched in horror during their respective primaries as the ones with deepest pockets bought their parties’ ticket. What a shame”.
He referred to the prophecy of Pa Granville Sydney Elton, a British Missionary who came to Nigeria in 1937 and settled in Ilesha who said: ” Nigeria and Nigerians will be known all over the world for corruption. Your name, Nigeria, will stink for corruption but after a while, a new phase will come, a phase of righteousness. People from the nations of the earth will hold a Nigerian and say; we want to follow you to your nation to go and learn righteousness”.
According to Bishop Obi, “therefore going by Pa Elton’s prophecy, Nigeria is fulfilling the first part of that prophecy, adding, The question to ask, therefore is, are we about to approach the second part of this prophecy or are we to still continue in the first part for some time more?”
“Nigeria and Nigerians are at a cross road. The 2023 election may be a litmus test for the country and will to a larger extent decide the prophetic destiny of the country. Nigerians are offered many presidential aspirants but three among them that stand out are: Peter Obi of LP, Atiku Abubakar of PDP and BolaTinubu of APC”.
“Many political analysts believe that all of them are better than Buhari’s government but it is our candid opinion that if Nigeria must experience the second part of Pa Elton’s prophecy, only one of the candidates has the capacity, potential, right mental attitude and disposition to take this country there’.
“If Nigerians misfire and hire any of the other two, then unfortunately, the status quo will be maintained and the fulfilment of the second part of Pa Elton’s prophecy will be deferred and this will no doubt be very unfortunate”.
” Nigerians should vote wisely because only the best can usher us into a country of righteousness and godliness. Ethnicity and religion should not determine the basis of our voting pattern, rather, competence, capacity, economic intelligence and exposure should be the determinant factors of our voting preferences. The truth is that hunger, bad roads, poor infrastructure and lack of health facilities do not understand ethnicity and religion”.
“Again, taking a cursory look st this nation called Nigeria, one would be tempted to ask: “Does it mean that there are no qualified Igbo people who can be President if this country? Does it mean that the rest of the country do not trust the Igbo with the presidency of Nigeria? Do the rest of Nigeria really believe that the civil war had actually ended? When will the Igbo be made to see themselves as an integral part of this country?”, the cleric queried.
