“At the family level, both Catholics, Christians, and Muslims must instill in their children habits that discourage corruption. The Bible tells us to teach a child the way of the Lord, and when the child grows, he will not depart from it,” Sen. Akpabio said, and added, “One of the core principles of our faith is not to steal and not to kill. Another is to love one another as we love ourselves.”
The former Governor of Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State spoke about love as a transformative force to the current challenges that the people of God in Africa’s most populous nation face, including insecurity and underdevelopment.
“If you love someone, you will not kill that person. If you love your country, you will not destroy it through corruption. If you love your people, you will provide them with infrastructure; you will ensure that the resources meant for them are used to develop them,” he said.
The native of Nigeria’s Ikot Ekpene Catholic Diocese in the Southern region of Nigeria added, “We must always remember that posterity will judge us. We must ask ourselves what we want to be remembered for. Is it for the wealth we accumulate or for the lives we impact?”
Reflecting on the vanity of material possessions, Sen. Akpabio called on politicians and public office holders to focus on legacy and eternity rather than the acquisition of wealth.
“Even if you own 50 houses, they will remain here on earth when you die. You don’t take anything with you,” he warned, and continued, “What matters is the legacy you leave behind. When you close your eyes in death, it is no longer about power or possessions. It is about where your soul will go, either heaven or hell.”
The 15th Senate President of Nigeria since the country’s independence in 1960 called for a collective moral and ethical reorientation among Nigerians.
“We need a total ethical reorientation in the country so that people can be held accountable for their actions. People should begin to ask themselves how they want to be remembered not by how much money they had but by the positive impact they made,” he told ACI Africa on April 11.
He went on to laud the Catholic Church’s discipline in preparing the faithful to receive the Eucharist, likening it to the legal principle of equity.
“There is something about the Catholic Church that really shapes character. The Church teaches that you must be in a state of grace before approaching the altar. In law, we say if you must come to equity, you must come with clean hands. It’s the same principle,” the 63-year-old politician said.
