Sincere commitment to religious and ethical values should inspire further support for the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s battle against corruption and Christians in positions of authority have a duty to help lead such fight, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has said.
Speaking on “Christianity and Accountability for Christians in Government” at an event organized by the Palace of Priests Assembly in Abuja, Senator Omo-Agege urged all Christians occupying privileged positions in government to shun all forms of injustice, divisiveness, greed and corruption, added that corruption is now the greatest enemy deterring the nation’s progress and development.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga, the Deputy President of the Senate who was represented by his Special Adviser on Legislative and Plenary Matters, Prince Efe Duku emphasized that committed Christians should not be involved in vices like nepotism, inter- and intra-ethnic violence, divisive politics, looting of public treasury and public wastefulness.
Stressed that Christian leaders have a duty to be exemplary ambassadors of Jesus Christ in public service, he noted that both the Christian religion and the law frown against corruption and other ungodly behaviours that attract appropriate state sanctions through due process.
“Whatever we do in public office that negates the essence of good governance also negates the very tenet of godliness and our professed faith in Christ; such unrighteous actions or inactions harm society as a whole and deny us true peace and joy as individuals.
“Because 1st Timothy 6:6 declares that ‘… Godliness with contentment is great gain,’ we know that God Almighty whom we serve never permits these greedy, harmful and unpatriotic behaviours that promote bad governance and misery; they never produce true, sustainable gain for their perpetuators.
“Whilst God admonishes us to walk away from these sins to avoid severe punishment, government expects us to avoid these infractions against the law (where so defined) in order to escape legal sanctions.
“It is often said that without good governance, democracy is nothing but the dictatorship of a few to the distress of the majority, and I agree entirely: that is part of reasons why I am fiercely loyal to progressive democratic ideals.
“I am incapable of pandering to hegemonic misrule or oppression of the masses by political leadership cliques that often adopt Machiavellian schemes to disrupt any people-oriented democratic order that seeks social justice, mass social investment in the common man’s best interest, societal orderliness, respect for rule of law and constitutionality, and general good human conduct.
“A Christian should be zealous to support and work to change the sorry historical national narrative on the shameful epidemics of corruption and financial crimes in our nation.
“There is certainly no righteousness in using ethnicity, religion or related primordial sentiments to justify wanton greed, mismanagement, wastefulness and plundering of public wealth by those who are privileged to be in government.
“Indeed, a Christian as a follower of Jesus Christ should not be a choirmaster for corruption to thrive in our society and should not be in the vanguard of those who labour to shoot down those are courageously fighting against it for the good of all,” Senator Omo-Agege stated.
