The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, has challenged Nigerian leaders to publicly "confess their sins against the people and return all they have corruptly looted for Nigeria to be a better place."
The cleric who threw the challenge in his message delivered at St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Parish in Apo, Abuja, on Sunday July 21, drew reference to the open confession and apology by a Kenyan official in a recent video clip in which he promised to return all properties and money he acquired through corrupt means.
While delivering is sermon, the cleric said;
"How I wish in Nigeria our present and past political leaders will willingly come forward with such courage to tell the truth, and like Zacchaeus to honestly confess their acts of injustice and corruption committed against the ordinary Nigerians citizens.
Just imagine the impact, if beginning from our Local Government Chairmen, State Assembly members, commissioners, governors, House of Representative members, Senators, Ministers, Presidents, leaders of various security arms, the Judiciary, etc past and present, they accept to make this type of open confession and express their willingness to return whatever they have taken obviously not as part of their legitimate earnings but corruptly stolen from the people they were/are elected or appointed to serve.
Should this be honestly and transparently done, we will never need to borrow billions of Dollars from anywhere; hunger and poverty as currently experienced will find Nigeria a hostile place to exist, and our social infrastructure and amenities will be competing with those in the so-called "first world." Our embassies around the world, will be overcrowded as foreigners will be clamouring and competing for visas to come to Nigeria.
Our Governors and Ministers don't need to gallivant abroad in the name of wooing investors. Nigerians will be proud and happy to walk anywhere in the world with their heads held very high.
May God give the political leaders in charge of our patrimony and indeed all Nigerians, whether high or low, the heart to always work for the common good.
Through the intercession of Our Mother Mary and St. Joseph her spouse, may our leaders imitate the servant-leadership of Christ and lead the people entrusted to their care in the way God wants."
Kaigama said he decided to transcribe the video clip of the Kenyan official and reproduce for his sermon because it depicts what true God-fearing leaders whether political, traditional, or religious should do or be. He said such leaders are sensitive to the needs of people and not the people wallowing in poverty while the few rich swim in the ocean of luxury at the expense of the poor citizens.
The Kenyan official had said;
"Good evening the people of Kenya. The constitution of Kenya of 2010, article 1, sub article 1, says: all sovereign power belongs to the people and shall only be exercised in accordance with the constitution. Today I tender my resignation as a cabinet secretary in the government of Kenya. I want to offer my heart-felt apology to the people of Kenya for the greed, high-handedness, selfishness, arrogance, nepotism, tribalism and all the bad things that we have done to you the in last two years. When we came to power, we called ourselves shareholders and decided that most Kenyans are not part of the government; are no longer part of the state and do not have any human rights. We went ahead and received bribes from all over the world, and especially, from Dubai.
We bought very expensive watches, some as expensive as one million Kenya's Shillings equivalence in Dollars. We bought belts worth 50,000 shillings, and we made sure that citizens know how expensive we have become.
In a country where poor families cannot pay their children's school fees, we were wallowing in luxury. I want to sincerely apologize and I want to say today that I am ready to give out all the bribes that I have received for the last two years; all the property that I have now, which can be traced back to the bribes I have received, will be surrendered to the state tomorrow, early in the morning.
Should I get a chance to serve the people of Kenya again, I will stop the greed, I will stop the arrogance. But most importantly, I will be accountable to the people of Kenya. To the Police High Command, the Inspector General, who also tendered his resignation, I want to urge you to take Kenyans to all the graves where the bodies are hidden. It is time for accountability. Thank you, dear Kenyans."
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