A Non-Governmental Organization, Priests Peace and Justice Initiative (PPJ), has partnered with the Mountains of Hope Foundation and other stakeholders to intensify zero tolerance for corruption in Nigeria through its ‘Shun Corruption Project’.
Program Manager of the Shun Corruption project, Dr. Orinya Agbaji, made the call at a one-day conference on transparency and accountability for Christians in government and public servants; tagged, Beyond Corruption: Pentecostal Unity for Social Justice and Advancement.
He said the primary goal of the program is to mobilize Christians and Nigerians against corruption and also urge citizens to promote and maintain integrity in their various organizations.
“Religious bodies and the church, especially in Nigeria and Africa, have large followership. Part of our program is to train Pentecostal pastors to mainstream anti corruption messages in their sermons. By doing so, their adherents are listening. We envision that a time will come when these adherents who work in different government organizations and sectors in the country will listen; these messages will penetrate their hearts and they will begin to do the right thing.”
Speaking on other initiatives at tackling corruption and entrenching zero tolerance for corruption amongst Nigerians and in the church, Dr Orinya added that the organization strongly marks the African Union (AU) African Anti-Corruption Day, which is observed on the 11th of July annually.
“July 11th every year is African Anti-corruption Day, so we have successfully institutionalized the Sunday before July 11th, as “Anti-Corruption Sunday”. During the anti-corruption Sunday, Pentecostals; especially those who have been engaging with us, use that day to preach anti-corruption sermons. So that is one of the things we have successfully institutionalized under the shun corruption project,” he added.
Giving his remarks, the General Overseer, Palace of Priests Assembly and Project Director for the Shun Corruption Project, Dr. Otive Igbuzor called on religious leaders and stakeholders in government to intensify the fight against corruption and also raise advocacy for conducts such as transparency, honesty and integrity.
“We started this project about six years ago and today’s program is organized specifically for Christians in government, because we know that the government occupies a special place in our lives.
“We have other partners who are engaging with Muslims in government and also Catholics in government. Ours engage with Pentecostals,” he explained.
Giving a keynote address on the theme of the forum, Professor of Sociology (Development Studies and Social Change), Samuel Zalanga, emphasized that corruption pollutes the morality and ethics of every society, hence the need for stakeholders to actively participate in the war against corruption.
He further outlined some of the consequences of corruption in the society, which includes affecting service delivery: especially in the education and healthcare sector; reduced access to quality goods and low foreign investments and partnerships amongst other factors.
Speaking to journalists at the event, the Deputy Director, Africa, MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Amina Salihu, expressed the commitment of the MacArthur Foundation in championing good causes that will drive positive change and values in Nigeria and all around the world.
According to her, “I am not a Christian how much more being of the Pentecostal movement. I am a Muslim but at the end of the day, we are all one, we are all human beings and those values of what is right, those values of goodness are all enduring. The MacArthur Foundation has been in Nigeria for over thirty years and we are working with Nigerians to ensure that there is accountability as we drive the change that Nigeria needs. We pay attention to behaviour change and since we are very religious in the country, we support honest and well respected religious leaders to include the message of accountability into their sermons. That initiative led us into working with faith based leaders.”
Highlights of the event included a panel of discussion titled: Leveraging Christian Participation in Government for the Advancement of Social Justice and Policy Advocacy, followed by experience and insights sharing of government officials, community members, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and public servants on integrity and anti-corruption.
The Shun Corruption project is a component of the MacArthur Foundation’s ‘Anticorruption Programme,’ that aims to entrench accountability, transparency and good governance in the government and civil societies.
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