Political Elite, Religious Leaders Benefitting from Violence in Nigeria: Catholic Scholar

According to the US-based Priest of the Diocese of Awgu in Nigeria, there are people all over Nigeria who are millionaires because they run camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

There are those in the West African country, Fr. Stan said during the February 17 interview, who are “running the business of helping the poor.”

Meanwhile, Fr. Stan has described Nigeria as “a failed state” and “a structure of injustice”, which has “turned its back on its future”.

Nigeria, the Jesuit Priest told ACI Africa, “is running on flat tires” and “is accident prone”.

He underlined the need to understand the complexity of the situation in Nigeria and not to "minimize" it, adding, “What we are facing in Nigeria today is deeper than one can imagine.”

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“The biggest problem is the failure of the state to take care of its people. Our leaders have failed to manage the country’s resources and its diversity, which could otherwise be a huge blessing for Nigeria,” he said.

“The Nigerian State has failed woefully,” the Professor further said, and continued, “What we have in Nigeria is a succession of corrupt, self-serving leaders who continue to exploit the vulnerable people instead of harnessing the blessings of our diversity.”

The Catholic Priest said he finds it regrettable that his native country is rooted in what he described as a vast structure of economic exploitation of the people.

He said that due to the exploitation, the people in Northern Nigeria are immersed in deep poverty. Those in northern Nigeria, he said, are "deeply rooted in prejudice, bitterness and miseducation" and are continually fed with lies that it is Christians who are behind their misfortunes. 

Fr. Stan added that the Muslims in Nigeria who are wallowing in poverty are warned that Christians are out to dominate the region, and that “that is why Christians are being killed and churches burnt.”

“The poverty in Nigeria is heart-wrenching,” he lamented, and added, “There is too much desolation and despair. I dare to say that the social conditions in Nigeria are worse than the situation in war-torn Afghanistan or any country experiencing a severe civil crisis.”

The Catholic Priest underlined the need to address the high poverty cases in Nigeria for the country to realize peace and freedom.

“Only those who have their basic needs satisfied can participate in the political stability of their country. With the existing poverty, the hope for freedom and peace is far-fetched,” he told ACI Africa February 17.

According to the Jesuit Priest, Nigeria is not an all-inclusive state. The country is “a structure of injustice,” he said, and explained, “At the moment, the country doesn’t have any measurable standards and actionable laws that people can fight for in court.”

“Nigeria is turning its back on its back on its future if we do not push for good policies that transcend religion and ethnicity,” Fr. Stan said, and added, “But our problem is the incompetent, corrupt, and senseless exploitation of the poor. Nigeria is a criminal enterprise.”

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Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.