Cleric urges Buhari to probe corruption in worship centres

The Secretary-General of the Consultative Council of the Anglican Communion World Wide, Most Reverend Josiah Idowu-Fearon has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the war against corruption to places of worship in the country.

The cleric alerted the president to what he described as dirty deals being perpetrated by some acclaimed men of God.

Reverend Idowu-Fearon spoke at a one-day national conference on the role of religious leaders in combating corruption in Nigeria.

The event was organised by Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Kano and the United States Embassy in Nigeria. He posited that men of God have lost their values in the church because of the attraction to material things and love for extravagant lifestyle of the politicians

According to him: “The men of God have lost all because of their love for material value. Men of God want to live the extravagant lifestyle of the politicians. Corruption is endemic in places of worship because our pastors and other leaders want to ride big cars, live in big houses and in the process they lost the prophetic value of the church and compromise their position as spiritual guides.”

The cleric who insisted that the war against corruption must spread to all places of worship added that if this is done, efforts to rid other segments of the society would be less difficult.

He challenged religious leaders across faiths to lead by example and practise what they preach to the followers.

Idowu-Fearon, the first African secretary-general of Anglican Communion applauded Buhari’s efforts, adding that those against the Federal Government are the enemies of good governance with criminal intentions.

“Yes, I do believe there is corruption in the places of worship and I have seen it. I have been a bishop for 25 years before I took up the position I hold presently and I know corruption contributes to our national burden. But the belief is if the head is rotten, the whole body is not spared and so the move to start from clergymen is a good development,” he stated.