Background to the Study
Nigeria is going through hard and perilous times. Nigeria is not alone in these challenges but it is a sad and pity to observe.According to Folaranmi (2012): Mention anything negative; corruption, violation of human rights, fallen standard of education, electoral malpractices, epileptic power outage, incessant strikes, lack of security of lives and properties, unemployment, fraud, greed and the rest, Nigeria is in the forefront. (p.vii). The above situations have been blamed on our leaders, law enforcement agents and the populace. They portray our image, attitude and moral disposition in a bad light. Our political leaders cannot be exonerated from Nigeria‟s woes.It is no longer news that Nigeria was ranked among the most corrupt nations of the world. Nigeria seems to be going back ward every day in all aspects of life. Hence Lawal (2012) says that: While corruption is on the increase our life expectancy seems to be decreasing, poverty and powerlessness are the order of the day. People‟s lives are being disposed of cheaply through different means such as armed robbers, hired assassins, kidnappers and pot holes on most of our high ways. (p.ix). The implication of the above statement is that corruption breeds poverty and insecurity in Nigeria. They are the roots of sin which should not be compromised but needed a frontal' attack in pulling down this stronghold. Nigeria is more complex economically, socially, politically, ethnically and religiously, scholars have that to address. Their views extend towards the Judeo-Christian world in particular and humanity in general. In Nigeria, there are also the three categories of people namely,the crowd, the revenue collectors and the politicians, were the principal 2 actors whose activities were characterized by corruption, exploitation, degradation, avarice, selfishness, and other forms of bad image which had the moral situation to dangerously deteriorate. The above moral dilemma is no exception in Nigeria with over 200,000,000 people, more than 800 languages and dialects. Nigeria‟s pluralism is compounded by long military rule or effective occupation which explained avarice, corruption, armed robbery, kidnapping, bad leadership, drug-pushing, fake drugs and other vices which had cast aspersion on Nigerians as indecent, notorious and disgraceful. There is a saying that for evil to triumph, every God fearing person has maintained mute, indifference and cold complexity. An exposition of the moral situation and the need for repentance is imperative not only to launder the damaged image of Nigerians, but to re-interpret the quest for ethical orientation from Nigerian perspective. It is significantly observed that the anti-snake poisons we need, therefore, is regeneration, a spiritual rebirth and a national repentance which Uche (2006) says is lacking. The same God who called John the Baptist audience to repentance through his message is calling on Nigerians to get back on the right track. This response would advance moral and spiritual development and character moulding of Nigerians by subscribing to a system of prohibitions to limit the range of the neonle. Poverty is one of the most serious problems confronting both the government and people of Anambra state in particular and Nigeria in general. Anambra state is among the South Eastern states of Nigeria with the widest gap between the rich and the poor. Despite her abundant human and material resources, Anambra state still lives in abject poverty. In the words of Ejekwu (2003), “to be poor is a painful and regrettable state. It is more excruciating when one is poor and wretched in the midst of plenty” (p.l). Aliyu (2001) posits that, “the commonly accepted socio-economic profile of Nigerians is that 3 nearly 70 percent are below the poverty line” (p.20). This situation calls for concerted effort at checking the scourge of poverty in AnambraState in particular and Nigeria in general. However, in the face of this poverty threat, rays of hope have started emerging that poverty will not be allowed to continue unabated. There seems to be renewed efforts by world leaders at reducing or eradicating poverty in Nigeria. The third millennium is said to be a millennium of prosperity for African continent. In the view of Nwuba (2007) “this means that in the new dispensation, the people of Africa will be emancipated from the shackles of poverty” (p.31).In pursuance to this objective, Nwosu (2007) reports that: 189 world leaders, including Nigeria‟s immediate past president, OlusegunObasanjo, met in September 2000 at the United Nations for the Millennium summit. The outcome of the gathering was the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, a commitment by the leaders to relatively reduce extreme poverty by half by 2015 among other issues (p.21). Poverty reduction and alleviation is therefore paramount to the average Anambrarian in particular and Nigerian in general. The millennium goal is that by the year 2015, extreme poverty and hunger must be eradicated. Since the declaration, there have been increased sustainable efforts aimed at poverty alleviation or eradication by the Nigeria Government. The government has not relented in mobilizing her citizenry in the fight against poverty in the land. The federal government of Nigeria had equally carried the poverty alleviation efforts at the state level with AnambraState inclusive. In the midst of this poverty alleviationand the need for poverty alleviation or eradication the tempo of poverty alleviation in Anambra State has been heighten through mobilization of her members in this direction. 4 Earlier in March 2000 about 157 delegates participated in the conference on Alleviating poverty in Africa, sponsored by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), and the World Bank, in partnership with the Network of Anglicans in the mission. The conference which was held at Kenya College of Communication Technology, Nairobi from March 6-10, 2000, traced its origins to a letter from the then Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Rev. Dr. George Carey to the president of world Bank James Woltensohn in May, 1999 inviting the Bank‟s participation in a Council of Anglican Provinces of African (CAPA) training course for new Bishops in Ibadan, Nigeria. The conference which was opened by the vice-president of Kenya, Rt. Hon. Professor George Saitoti, attracted participants from 20 African nations, and 17 Christian denominations, with representatives of the Archbishop of Canterbury and of the president of the pontifical council for Justice and Peace based in the Vatican. They were joined by partners in development from Australia, Germany, Netherland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The vice president for Africa, Mr. CallistoMadaro, led the World Bank team of twenty seniour staff. In its communique issued in March 2000, the conference seems to point out the background or base for church‟s active role in poverty alleviation and reduction when it quoted Jesus‟ statement about his mission on earth as stated in the gospelaccording to Saint Luke thus: The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (4:18-19). From the above Biblical quotation, we see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is directed at the poor, the broken-hearted, the oppressed and the captives.And the church 5 being the Assembly of God‟s people determined to tread the footsteps of Jesus Christ, the founder, must gear its mission towards the poor, and the likes as mentioned above.That is why the church uses its position as the moral conscience of the state and its closeness to the poor, to influence its members and governments.
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