ACCUSED: ¨religious leaders at Anglican Church of Nigeria are not living by their teachings, fuel corruption and other social vices¨

·Nigerian Senate President, David Mark

SENATE President David Mark, at a synod of the Bishops of Anglican Communion held in Kaduna recently, accused religious leaders in Nigeria of not living by the tenets of their teachings, lamenting that many of their actions fuel corruption and other social vices.

¨Practicing what they preach as well as following the teachings and matching their words with their actions.¨

According to the nation’s number three man, the widespread corruption being witnessed in the country would not have existed if the religious leaders were sincere in their teachings by practicing what they preach as well as following the teachings and matching their words with their actions.

·Archbishop of The Anglican Church of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, Primate

Disturbed with the negative trend, Mark stressed:

“Sometimes and without fear of being labelled heretic or uncharitable, public officials and politicians in Nigeria have been at their receiving end of an apparent blackmail emanating from our clergy.

·Gafcon Bishop Martyn Minns of CANA/NIGERIA and Bishop Akinola

Daily, such officials are inundated with requests for financial aid which is way beyond our personal income and even where so provided, are above approved budgetary limits. And this demand cuts across all religious bodies.”


True was Senate President’s statement that Christian-Muslim clergy interaction with leaders in Nigeria has become a signpost of “do as I say, but not as I do.” Clergymen of both faiths have abandoned their primary responsibilities.

·Anglican/Gafcon Nigerian Bishops and their CANA representative consider ¨sycophantic attitudes¨

Obviously, Senator Mark has spoken the minds of Nigerians who have for long been suffering from the sycophantic attitude of this category of influential Nigerians known as men of God.

Not just that, Mark’s position on the clergymen and his ability and courage to have told them this to their faces, needs to be commended by well-meaning Nigerians, especially those in position of authority.


The clergymen should consider Senator Mark’s accusation as a plain truth and a challenge to them as vicegerents of Allah (god) on earth. They should not see it as disrespect or a calculated campaign to smear their image. In consideration of their expected role to serve as models for the larger society, they need to appreciate their God-given important positions by shunning all corrupt and other negative tendencies, so that an egalitarian society could emerge.

Just like other classes of people, the clergymen have their shortcomings such as desperation in search of worldly materials from those in authority or well-to-do to the detriment of the larger society. We, however, believe that such shortcomings can be overcome by the clergy for the promotion and protection of their dignity in the society.

This, particularly, is surmountable when they (clergymen) equally summon the courage to tell those in position of authority and the privileged few in the society, the bitter truth and avoid running to them cap-in-hand for personal gains.

No doubt, time is now for the clergy in Nigeria to consciously leverage on their God-given power over their religious congregations to minimize the wanton anti-social behaviour that bestrides the nation today.¨ read it all, by Jumadal Thani at The Daily Triumph, click HERE

·Thanks to David Mark
·Thanks to The Nigerian Senate
·Thanks to The Daily Triumph
·Thanks to The Anglican Church of Nigeria
·Thanks to Jumadal Thani
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing
·Thanks to Father David Heron, at the sidebar
·Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Christian Troll/GAFCON, at the sidebar