Anglican Archbishop to Jonathan: Corruption, not constitution, should be your priority

By JOSEPH ERUNKE

Archbishop of Anglican Communion, Most Rev Nicholas Okoh, wants  President Goodluck Jonathan to strictly tackle corruption which, he noted, had eaten deep into the Nigerian system.

This is even as he advised the president to halt the mass demolition of houses in Abuja dominated by low income earners, saying going ahead with the demolition will give rise to high rate of corruption as people will strive to illegally enrich themselves to meet up with the challenges confronting them.

The bishop, who spoke with newsmen, Friday, in Abuja, was reacting to the on-going attempts to amend the country’s constitution. He reasoned that corruption was more critical to address at the moment than the constitution.

He said government should better focus attention on seeking an end to corruption rather than amendment of the constitution.

Noting that Nigerians were deeply engaged in corrupt practices, Okoh regretted that enforcement of the laws of the land was the greatest challenge the country was  facing, adding, “it is not so much problem of constitution but people are dedicated to evil.”

He said that corruption  endemic was not only among politicians but  also people in all sectors.
He spoke with journalists at Abuja  during the First Session of the Second Synod, with the theme: “Behold obedience is better than sacrifice.”

Commenting on demolition of houses in Abuja, the cleric noted that“no country is only built for the rich” even as he advised the Federal Government to look into accommodation problems in Abuja, saying it was partly responsible for corruption in the civil service.

He urged the rich to learn to live together with the poor, saying ‘’government should pay attention to the accommodation of low income civil servants because if the low income civil servant is to pay from

his salary he can’t. So it encourages corruption”.