HOWEVER good the intention, the fight against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration risks being futile except government tackles primordial and regional sentiments plaguing the country, a famous Port Harcourt-based tele-evangelist, David Ibiyeomie, has declared.

The cleric observed that corruption in Nigeria was so endemic that it would require the country having a visionary leader who is devoid of tribal and regional sentiments to solve the problem.

Ibiyeomie, while speaking on the theme: “Financial Success” in Port Harcourt, said God had revealed to him that the Buhari administration cannot solve the problem of corruption, saying ongoing anti-graft fight was “merely an All Progressives Congress (APC) propaganda.”

The clergyman explained that the seed of corruption was sown by the colonial masters by dividing the nation along regional lines before independence, thus inculcating in the psyche of modern Nigerians regional and tribal consciousness.

According to him, this made it impossible for Nigerians to be objective in their assessing of the political leadership since 1960.

Ibiyeomie noted that Buhari couldn’t stop corruption because he has been part of the Nigerian political system, adding that the President has “not been able to purge himself of tribal or regional sentiments based on his recent key appointment of principal officers.”

He explained that the British government before lowering the Union jack flag ensured that Nigerians remained a divided people who would rather choose to identify themselves first by tribes and not citizenship.

The cleric argued that this sort of consciousness explained why political leaders always discard merit for parochial considerations in the allocation of key political positions.

He urged Nigerians to pray to God to give the country a visionary leader who will be able to galvanise everyone for a new Nigeria.

Ibiyeomie asserted that the root cause of corruption remained tribalism, stating that everyone who assumes political position first and foremost think of how to enrich his or her kinsmen at the detriment of the rest of the country.