Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, says some men of God choose to praise treasury looters instead of condemning their illegal act.
He said this while delivering the keynote address at the 35th Methodist Bishops’ conference at Methodists Theological Institute in Abia state.
Obi, who spoke on ‘The Church and Economic Recession in Nigeria: A concern for spiritual reflection’, charged clerics to speak out against the ills of the society and shun supporting such practices.
“Once the society is progressing, it is for the benefit of everybody; and once it is not progressing everybody suffers, including Church leaders,” he said.
“We have seen public officers who did not have a penny, within months they have built houses.
“Unfortunately, it is the money that should have been saved for the state that they squander. Rather than condemn such, some men of God preside over their thanksgiving and praise them to high heavens.”
Obi appealed to churches “to encourage members to engage in productive ventures and discourage the culture of materialism.”
He also lamented the practice whereby some pastors hand over car and house keys to their members that are yet to be gainfully employed.
“It is good to have faith, but we cannot run the churches or our lives by mere recitation of pater nosters (‘Our father’),” he added.
“A popular cliche says that heaven helps those that help themselves.”
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