Sagay says flamboyant pastors fuel corruption

BY SEGUN ADEOSUN

Professor Itse Sagay, chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, has come down hard on certain wave-making preachers, saying their flamboyant lifestyles fuel corruption.

The leading anti-corruption crusader made the declaration in an exclusive interview with The Crest at Ilesha, Osun State, at the funeral of the father of Professor Femi Odekunle, Nigeria’s first Professor of Criminology and a member of PACAC.

Sagay said that rather than mirror the humble life of Jesus Christ, some of the current crop of pastors live ostentatious lifestyles that do not glorify God, insisting that such is a betrayal to their calling.

“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,” Sagay declared. “That is a betrayal of God and such people, eventually will have to pay for it. These are the people who will be in the frontline of condemnation, because they have betrayed God.

“It is very upsetting because these are people who should be setting standards for the rest of us. What they are doing is to betray their call, the people and once they are betraying the people, they have betrayed God. At the end of the day, you know what the Bible says: that when God wants to judge this world, He would start from His own House.”

However, it’s not all fire and brimstone from the law professor. He admonished such preachers to change their ways and live a simple life; a life of sacrifice.”

“They must be dedicated not only to God, but to the society in which they live,” the PACAC chairman said, “particularly their congregation and make a difference in the lives of the people, not to absolve money and funds and to be living luxurious lifestyles, whilst members of their congregation are perishing in penury. That is a great offence, both to the church and more importantly to God himself.”