Ahead of 2023 general elections, a Nigerian clergy in the Philippines, Bishop Tony Marioghae, has urged Nigerian leaders not replicate the horrors of failed states in the country.

In a statement signed by Bishop Marioghae, he stressed the need for Nigerians to work towards transformational change in all ramifications.

To him, Nigerians must embrace this common denominator and must be prepared to make great sacrifices, insisting that transformational change is never easy.

Transformational change, he argued, always encounters fierce resistance from the selfish minority who benefit from the ugly status quo, irrespective of the suffering of the silent majority, who contribute daily to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

According to him, “those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. Nigerians should not replicate the horrors of failed states in our nation through pride, entitlement, and selfishness. We must act decisively to tackle our problems before the country slides into irreversible chaos and destruction.

“Since other nations have taken the prime spots in science and technology, we can forge our path distinctly by standing tall as the world’s moral authority. Nigeria is one of the most prayerful nations in the world. Therefore, moral integrity dictates that our actions should no longer contradict what we profess.”

Continuing, he said transformational leadership is the capacity to visualise a goal; mobilise people and resources for the task and inspire public participation for maximum productivity with benefits to all.

Describing the process as painful, Marioghae insisted that it is always productive and beneficial to a nation if the restless aspiration of the people is genuinely inspired by a shared vision and channeled towards a revolutionary but godly agenda, which is nation-building.

He added that Nigeria needs reform-minded leaders to take the nation from poverty to prosperity, wasteful spending to thrifty planning and consumer political entity to an economically vibrant producer nation.

He added that this is how Nigeria can influence and earn the respect of the global community.

Marioghae noted that the nation is blessed with abundant mineral resources and should not be at the mercy of hawkish international financial institutions with questionable lending habits.

Unfortunately, he observed that most of the present self-centered political leaders lack noble qualities.

The cleric added: “They are all interested in validating corruption through frivolous borrowings, which has impoverished the nation. Nevertheless, we have the workforce and resources to achieve this objective, except for courageous leaders with the moral willpower to combat lawlessness.”

The clergy draws attention to the fact that 2023 will provide Nigerians with the political opportunity to fire bad leaders and hire good and competent ones through the ballot boxes.

He cautioned: “Therefore, we can’t afford to sell our votes. Selling your vote will deprive you of the moral authority to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions in office. Non-accountability promotes corruption and nepotism, which is detrimental to success.”

Specifically, he said every nation, ‘reflects the people’s ethics, principles and laws. Values drive principles, while principles shape national character. It is the character of a people that exalts or degrades the nation. Nigeria’s problems are caused by wrong values deeply embodied in our political system. Decades of choosing convenience over conviction, political rhetoric over reason, tribalism over truth, pleasure over principles, parochial interests over purpose and blind power grab over purposeful planning and posterity have significantly damaged our capacity to develop exponentially as a nation.”

To correct this evil, Marioghae said, “we must strive to combat the culture of corruption, deception and sycophancy firmly entrenched in every significant institution in Nigeria. We need a brave and dynamic leader who has the audacity of faith and the moral courage to confront the tiny cabal who think that they own the country, the bandits who have seized our highways for personal gain, and the terrorists who are trying to turn Nigeria into a dark demonic feudal system in the name of religion, and the local and international cabal who have continued to plunder our vast natural resources detrimental to the people’s welfare.”