Why graft pervades Nigeria, by Bakare

The General Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has blamed materialism for the monumental corrupt practices in the country.

The cleric, who spoke at the launch of a foundation to celebrate the 52nd birthday of the 2nd Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Monday Onyekachi Ubani in Lagos, lamented that the Nigerian society promotes corruption through a warped expectation and demand culture.

According to Bakare, a constituency, which expects monetary handouts during elections, has already created an atmosphere for corruption and ineptitude.

“The corruption problem in the Nigerian system is a people and expectation problem. It is created through the supply of people of questionable character to the political decision-making system from the citizenry.”

Represented by the Managing Director of Wema Bank Plc, Segun Oloketuyi, the cleric, however, noted that Nigerians were not essentially corrupt as exemplified by the airport cleaner who found and returned N12 million to its rightful owner and President Muhammadu Buhari’s public declaration of incorruptibility.

Bakare also cited Nigerians who had rejected mouth-watering but morally bankrupt pecuniary offers.
Earlier, Buhari represented by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, commended the vision of the Onyekachi Ubani Foundation.

According to him, “it is significant that the foundation is dedicated to helping the poor and needy in the society and to celebrate those who made our country proud with virtuous acts.”

Buhari expressed delight that the launch was marked by a public lecture on the ongoing anti-corruption war which he said, was one of the things dearest to the heart of his administration.

In his remarks, Ubani appealed to wealthy Nigerians to support the poor and the less-privileged to avoid the breeding of miscreants.