I recently attended a political event in Chicago, where former State Rep. and candidate for Illinois governor, Jeanne Ives, spoke. She lamented the fact that Illinois is on the brink of financial collapse because “…we have accepted the corruption” that has contributed to the downward spiral of our state.
Southeastern Nigerians are sensing political corruption in a recent action by current President, Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari, of the Northern Hausa tribe, has unilaterally removed the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, on corruption charges and replaced him with fellow Northerner and political ally, Tanko Mohammed, as acting CJN.
Igbo citizens of the southeast see this as a power play to rig the upcoming Presidential Election on February 16th. While Onnoghen may be guilty of financial corruption, the timing and manner of his removal are being heavily scrutinized. As CJN, Onnoghen, “…would have ruled on any dispute in the Feb 16th elections” (AFP, “Nigeria’s Buhari under pressure over judge suspension,” 1-27-19). Also, the Nigerian Constitution stipulates that a sitting CJN cannot be removed by the President without two-thirds of the Senate (Premium Times, “What the law says on removal of Chief Justice of Nigeria,” 1-28-19).
Financial and political corruption are not new in Nigeria, a relatively young republic, gaining independence from colonial Britain in 1960. However, the corruption has had devastating effects on the Nigerian people. “In our system, executives and legislators often resort to violence to put themselves in office, hence, they feel no obligation to the electorate,” says Rev. Leo Okonkwo.
In such a political culture, elected officials will use violence to keep themselves in power. The true common good of the people are an afterthought, at best. “The poor and marginalized people depend greatly on HEAL’s service and provision because our government has no sense of justice or compassion for the least of God’s people,” Rev. Leo says.
Many of the social ills HEAL combats day to day are made worse by this corruption. And so, we need YOU to step in and champion our cause!