CALABAR—CURRENT hardship affecting a large section of Nigerians has the capacity to increase the rate of corruption as people become desperate to survive, Bishop Emmah Isong, Assistant National Deputy President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, South South, has said.
Speaking with Vanguard, yesterday, the President of Central Christian Chapel International, noted that those who ordinarily would have kept away from corruption could out of desperation to make ends meet be forced to engage in corrupt practices just to survive.
He said: “The question is, are we going to be alive in Nigeria till 2019 with the level of hardship the people are going through? This situation has the tendency to make people who ordinarily would have stayed away from corrupt practices to engage in corruption.”
He said what the current administration should do is to draw up an economic blue print that focuses on increased agricultural production and rehabilitation of infrastructure to create jobs for people as many companies and industries were folding up and laying off workers which is exacerbating the hardship in the land.
“I can testify that Nigerians are feeling the impact of the hardship as 17 of my members have opted to return to their villages because they have either been laid off work or have closed their businesses and so cannot pay their rents and feed their families.”
According to Bishop, the fight against corruption should take into account the need to address the basic needs of the people which include good roads, food and regular payment of salaries.
“Nigerians are very easy people to lead, all a leader needs to do is to ensure that there is food for the people, good roads, pay salaries but if things are allowed to continue like this, there is a level of hunger which can cause people to revolt, so the government should not concentrate solely in fighting corruption but should endeavour to create a viable economic atmosphere to help put food on the table.”
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