BY SEGUN ADEOSUN
Professor Itse Sagay, chairman, Presidential Committee on Anti-Corruption, has condemned the flamboyant lifestyle of the present crop of wave-making preachers in Nigeria, saying they encourage corruption.
Sagay lambasted the pastors as he spoke with newsmen on the state of the nation in Ilesha, Osun State.
“These are the people who will be in the front-line of condemnation, because they have betrayed God,” Sagay declared angrily. “You cannot be a minister of God and be flamboyant, and be looking for private jets, and live a life larger than life existence at the expense of the miserable congregation. That is a betrayal of God. Eventually, such people will have to pay for it.”
Still fulminating, the Professor of Law and leading anti-corruption crusader described the conduct of most of the preachers as “very upsetting,” and very disgusting “because these are people who should be setting standards for the rest of us.”
But rather than set standards in righteousness and holiness, Sagay said, the pastors have immersed themselves in the vilest form of corruption, cheating the poorest of the poor, building their obscene financial empires on the common people’s sweat.
“What they are doing is to betray their call and the people,” Sagay said. “And once they are betraying the people, they have betrayed God. And you know what the Bible says; that at the end of the day, when God wants to judge this world, He would start from His own House.”
But the professor would not want the preachers to perish in their iniquities. Rather, He charged them to change their ways, make personal on behalf of their impoverished flocks, and live simple and righteous life.
“They must be dedicated not only to God,” the anti-corruption crusader continued, “but also to the society in which they live, particularly their congregation, and make a difference in the lives of the people. They must not absolve money and funds and to be living a luxurious lives, whilst members of their congregation are living in penury. That is a great offence, both to the church and, more importantly, to God.”