President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is the most corrupt in the history of the nation, according to Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province and Bishop of Enugu Diocese in the Anglican Communion.
On Monday night, Chukwuma gave a press conference in Enugu and criticised the Buhari administration for failing to combat corruption.
The cleric expressed sadness that the country’s situation had gotten worse under a government that had been elected on the premise that it would fight corruption and boost the economy.
He said, “When Buhari was coming in, he promised change, we embraced him, but rather than what was promised to Nigerians, what we are seeing is worse.
“Corruption has gone to a high level. There is too much embezzlement and money laundering under this government.
“Corrupt officials who are indicted and arrested are not being imprisoned, even those that were imprisoned by the last administration have been granted pardon.
“We were told about billions of recovered loot, where is it? That’s why I said the government is too corrupt. They are re-looting recovered money.”
According to PulseNets, the Buhari administration earlier this year pardoned two previous State governors who had been imprisoned for embezzling public funds.
Between 1999 and 2007, the former governors of Taraba State and Plateau State, respectively, were Jolly Nyame and Joshua Dariye.
They were among the 159 convicted criminals whose pardons the Council of State approved in April of this year.
The move, according to Archbishop Chukwuma, is a blatant sign that the government is not dedicated to the battle against corruption.
He also made fun of the government for the nation’s spiralling inflation, criticising the fact that basic necessities were now out of the reach of the average person.
“Inflation is now too high like never before. A litre of petrol is now sold between N250 and N300.
“Salaries are not being paid; many States are yet to implement minimum wage.
“Brain drain is on the highest level, medical officials especially have all deserted the country and the government is just moving on as though everything is normal.
“The only interest of this government is on taking loans everyday, we don’t know how the debt will be paid; we are not even seeing what they are doing with the loans.
“Oil theft has worsened. The vessel that was discovered, why should it be set ablaze, destruction of evidence. Some people are supposed to be fired for doing that but nothing has happened,” he lamented.
On the 2023 general elections, Chukwuma advised the electorate “to look out for people with pedigree to bring us out of this mess. We are in slavery of corruption, slavery of insecurity, slavery of collapsed education, slavery of inflation and bad economy.
“It is so disturbing, people are even sceptical that the election will not be held. We should pray for God’s intervention.
“All old politicians should step aside, they have nothing to offer. We want a new wine in a new wine skin.”
He, however, charged Nigerians not to despair but to remain prayerful.
“As we begin Advent, approach Christmas and New Year, it has become pertinent for me to release this message.
“Nigerians should move closer to God and trust him for an intervention. Let us work together to make Nigeria great.”
In the meantime, he denounced the attack on certain communities in Eha-Amufu, in the Enugu State region of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, which resulted in a number of fatalities.
He requested the immediate removal of the State’s security chiefs while charging some security personnel with undermining Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s efforts.
“Some of these security men are not helping us, they appear to be sympathetic to those killing our people,” he alleged.
