Church leaders complicit in Nigeria’s corruption woes – Cleric
The Lead Pastor of Hilltop City Christian Centre in Lagos, Victor Akintunde, has said that church leaders must take part of the blame for Nigeria’s worsening corruption crisis.
In a recent interview, Pastor Akintunde voiced concern over the growing shift among prominent pastors from the core message of Christianity to a heavy emphasis on prosperity and material wealth.
“Some of the corrupt behaviours plaguing Nigeria have roots within the church,” he said. “Many pastors have abandoned the true message of Christ and are now overly focused on prosperity. We’ve made wealth the focal point of the gospel, which deviates from the teachings of the apostles.”
He was reacting to a viral video in which a pastor allegedly claimed that God accepts tithes from proceeds of fraud and cybercrime. Though he hadn’t seen the video himself, Akintunde firmly condemned such doctrine.
He criticised the trend of sermons dominated by talk of wealth and personal achievements, warning that it sends a harmful message. “When a pastor spends 30 to 40 minutes talking about their riches, it suggests to the congregation that wealth is more important than integrity,” he said.
The cleric also lamented that some people now attend church not for transformation but to soothe their conscience. “When we keep telling people money is needed to do God’s work, they may bring stolen money and believe it makes their wrongdoing acceptable,” he warned.
On the issue of government regulation of religious activities, Pastor Akintunde noted that churches are already under the purview of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which requires registration and annual returns. However, he opposed government interference in sermon content, stressing that such matters should be handled internally by Christian regulatory bodies.
“It’s not the government’s place to dictate what pastors preach. That responsibility lies with Christian leadership organisations,” he said.
He urged bodies like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to strengthen internal checks and enforce discipline. “The church must return to preaching the true gospel. As the Bible says, righteousness exalts a nation,” he added.
Speaking about his church’s contribution, Pastor Akintunde highlighted the *Spirit and Life Conference*, an annual three-day event hosted by Hilltop City Christian Centre. Now in its fifth year, the conference is dedicated to teaching the apostolic gospel and reviving biblical doctrines.
“God gave us the mandate to hold this conference as a platform for restoring the true word of God,” he said. “It’s more than preaching; it’s about genuine transformation through divine encounters. We believe those seeking God’s intervention will receive it.”
He concluded by calling on Nigerian church leaders to return to the foundational teachings of Scripture, noting that the church has a crucial role to play in shaping a nation’s moral fabric.