The Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has raised concerns over Nigerian politicians who, driven by greed, choose churches and preachers that avoid confronting their corrupt actions. He emphasized the critical role of religious leaders in advocating for truth to drive meaningful societal change.
Cardinal Onaiyekan made these comments during his appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program on Channels Television. He observed that many Nigerian politicians are not genuinely committed to democracy.
“I have noticed in Nigeria that greedy people have a way of choosing the kind of churches they go to and which preachers they listen to. If they go to a church where they are constantly being challenged and made uncomfortable, they won’t come back next Sunday, but we need more of that,” Onaiyekan explained.
He stressed that building impressive church structures filled with worshippers is not sufficient. True faith, he argued, must drive a profound and positive societal transformation.
“The official religious institutions we have in Nigeria need to conduct self-evaluation. They should ask themselves: Have we been projecting the right message of our faiths? If we were, we wouldn’t see these kinds of results,” he stated.
Cardinal Onaiyekan warned against complacency among Nigeria’s religious institutions, urging them to reconsider their responsibilities. “We cannot just celebrate that our churches are full or that we are constructing large buildings. While that’s good, we also need to see where godliness fits into all of this. If religion does not foster godliness, it’s worse than having no religion at all,” he noted.
The Cardinal also lamented the country’s deepening corruption, attributing it to the actions of leaders whose poor governance has exacerbated national poverty.
“There is so much impunity. People take things that don’t belong to them without consequences, while a poor man who steals a piece of yam in the village might end up in jail for six months or more. Clearly, there’s something wrong with the justice system,” he added.
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