…charges citizens to stop stealing, wants Tinubu to probe past administrations

A Nigerian cleric, Pastor Amos Dada, PhD; P.Eng , has said the nation remains a sleeping giant in spite of all her potential for greatness, because most Nigerians steal from her treasury. He therefore charged Nigerians to stop stealing in his special message to the nation on the occasion of the 65th Independence anniversary. 

Pastor Dada, who is Zonal Superintendent Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Canada Zone, laments that: “As Nigeria celebrates her 65th independence, there is little to rejoice about when we weigh the cost of corruption against the promise of freedom. For sixty-five years, our nation has been robbed not just by those in high office, but by ordinary Nigerians across all walks of life. The bitter truth is this: Nigeria is bleeding because Nigerians are stealing Nigeria.” 

Speaking further in his press statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, he said: “We often point accusing fingers at politicians, but the cancer of corruption is not confined to Aso Rock. It is in every sector, every institution, every religion, every marketplace, every classroom, every pulpit, and every street corner. Until we stop stealing Nigeria, we cannot heal Nigeria.

“Take the civil servants, for example. They inflate contracts, create ghost workers, and demand bribes before files move from one table to another. They frustrate citizens into paying “something for the boys” before they can access services that should be free. Millions disappear into “overheads” while schools collapse and hospitals decay.

“The judges and the judiciary, entrusted with the scale of justice, have sold verdicts to the highest bidder. Election cases are decided not on truth, but on who can pay. Criminals buy their freedom, while the poor languish in overcrowded prisons. Justice is no longer blind in Nigeria; it sees, and it collects.

“The politicians and executives loot the treasury with impunity. They misappropriate security votes, squander resources on frivolous foreign trips, and stash stolen billions abroad. They mortgage the future of unborn generations with reckless borrowing, then hand out palliatives as though crumbs can replace dignity.”

Dada who equally serves the church as Chairman, CAC Men’s Association, North America and Dean, Christ Apostolic Church North America Bible Institute, takes more critical swipes at other sectors, saying: “Take the current administration, for instance. After merging the foreign exchange windows and removing fuel subsidies — policies that caused the prices of petrol and food to skyrocket — they proudly announced that more funds now flow to state governors and local government chairmen. Yet, there is no single visible improvement in roads, schools, hospitals, or security. Instead, both federal and state governments continue borrowing recklessly, piling debt on future generations.

” And what of past administrations? As I argued in my book To the Rescue: Say No to Corruption, the looting of the past must not be swept under the carpet. Probes must go beyond rhetoric. The EFCC must not focus only on chasing “Yahoo boys.” They must also pursue the Yahoo men — the political elites, contractors, and bureaucrats who rob with pens and signatures. For every armed robber caught, there are pen robbers looting billions with impunity. The pen robbers are far more dangerous than the gun robbers, for they bankrupt the nation while smiling on television.

“The legislators are no better. They earn more than their counterparts in advanced nations while presiding over the world’s poorest citizens. They pad budgets, corner constituency project funds, and convert the National Assembly into a bazaar of greed.

“Contractors collect billions to build roads, hospitals, and schools — only to abandon the projects or use substandard materials that collapse within months. They supply expired drugs, faulty equipment, and computers that never work, endangering the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

“Bankers collude with politicians to launder stolen wealth abroad. They manipulate foreign exchange, frustrate small businesses, and exploit customers with hidden charges. Instead of being custodians of trust, many have become engineers of financial exploitation.

“Even manufacturers and business moguls play their part. They hoard goods to artificially raise prices, exploit workers with starvation wages, evade taxes, and import substandard products. They worship profit at the expense of human dignity.

“Corruption trickles down to the grassroots. Market women and traders cheat customers with false measurements, adulterated goods, and exorbitant prices that change overnight without reason. Dishonesty has become normalized in everyday transactions.

“Students also share the blame. Many cheat in exams, pay bribes for grades, and join cults. Internet fraud, popularly glamorized as “Yahoo Yahoo,” is celebrated as hustle, but it is still theft. These young ones export shame abroad, blackening Nigeria’s image and making honest Nigerians suffer stigma at airports and embassies.

“The rot in academia is no less damning. Lecturers demand money or sex from students in exchange for marks. Admission slots are sold, research funds embezzled, and plagiarism is rife. Universities produce half-baked graduates because integrity has been sacrificed on the altar of greed.

“The religious sector, once the conscience of society, has itself become an accomplice. Many pastors and church leaders no longer preach holiness or repentance from sin. Instead, they peddle prosperity messages, reducing Jesus from the Saviour of sinners to a Father Christmas who dispenses wealth. They commercialize miracles, sell anointing oil, and manipulate desperate souls for gain. Likewise, some imams and Muslim leaders collude with politicians, divert Zakat meant for the poor, and preach silence in the face of injustice. Both Christian and Muslim leaders who should be light have become shadows of compromise. Let us lift up Jesus, and stop lifting up men. 

“The healthcare system is riddled with theft. Doctors and nurses siphon drugs from public hospitals to sell privately. Equipment is deliberately sabotaged to force patients into private clinics. Regulators take bribes, allowing fake drugs to flood the market. Every day, Nigerians die not just from disease, but from greed.

“The security agencies are no sanctuary either. Police officers extort at checkpoints under the slogan “bail is free.” Soldiers lack basic equipment because defense budgets have been looted. Some uniformed men even collude with criminals. Instead of protecting the people, they prey on them.

“The media and journalism have also been corrupted. “Brown envelope” journalism silences truth and amplifies lies. Many media houses serve as mouthpieces for corrupt politicians. Misinformation and propaganda fuel ethnic and religious conflict.

“Even sports and entertainment are not spared. Funds for athletes are mismanaged, selections are influenced by nepotism, and young talents are exploited by greedy record labels.

“And what of ordinary Nigerians? Landlords exploit tenants, tenants dodge rent, artisans cheat customers, drivers adjust fuel meters, parents sponsor exam malpractice for their children. We have normalized dishonesty at every level.

“The impact is devastating. At home, roads are death traps, hospitals are mortuaries, schools are glorified sheds, electricity is epileptic, and insecurity thrives. Abroad, Nigerians are mocked, distrusted, and stereotyped as fraudsters. The sins of a few stain the name of millions, forcing hardworking citizens to live under suspicion.

“Nigeria is not destroyed by outsiders but by her own people. Stealing in Nigeria is not just about looting billions; it is about stealing values, stealing truth, stealing opportunities, stealing justice, stealing dignity, and stealing the very soul of a nation.

“At 65, Nigeria should be a beacon of progress, not a cautionary tale of wasted potential. If we truly want a new Nigeria, we must stop stealing — in offices and marketplaces, in courts and classrooms, in churches and mosques, in palaces and parliaments. Nigeria will only rise when Nigerians stop stealing Nigeria.”