Corruption is Nigeria’s war, says Shehu

Deputy Secretary-General of Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Salisu Shehu, has identified unbridled corruption as the major factor militating against the country’s socio-economic and political development.

Prof. Shehu, who chaired the 2019 Annual Symposium with Religious Leaders in the Northeast zone, organised by Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies (Mambayya House), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), in conjunction with MacArthur Foundation, lamented that the unbridled corruption in the country has deprived the common man the needed social amenities such as good roads, hospitals, schools, job creation and good governance.

According to him, while countries like Iran and Iraq are ravaged by physical war, but enjoy adequate infrastructural amenities, Nigeria has been ravaged by systematic corruption which has permeated even into the circles of religious leaders.

According to him, “Corruption is our own war. Corruption is the very war Nigeria is facing; because of corruption, there is no electricity, our hospitals are not functioning, our education system is in shambles. Iran and Iraq are ravaged by war, Nigeria is ravaged by corruption.”

He also fingered corruption as the major reason why the war against insurgency in the Northeast has not yielded the desired results, pointing out that, “corruption has made the fight against insurgency almost impossible. So, we should do our best as religious leaders to stamp out corruption in the society.” He regretted the fact that corruption has become endemic in mosque and churches, noting that, “we should do something very quickly to fight corruption because religious leaders are the last resort and the light in the society.

In his welcome address, the Director of Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies, Prof. Ismaila M. Zango, urged participants to engage their congregations and communities around them on the need to eradicate corruption for a better society. “In the nearest future, the fight against corruption will shift from government agencies to the people within the communities because through consistent awareness, people are getting to know the danger posed by corruption against the growth and development of the nation.”