- Enough Is Enough: A Critique Of Fund Raising Modalities In The Nigerian Church Today
By Rev. Fr. George Ehusani
(A Paper presented at the 2022 General Assembly of the Archdiocese of Abuja, September 23, 2022).
After the major scandal and embarrassment that attended the unfortunate massacre of 13 worshipers inside the St. Philip's Church, Ozubulu, Anambra State, on Sunday August 6, 2017, I addressed a memorandum to the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, pleading that they consider it a matter of priority to come up urgently with clear guidelines on what manner of fundraising can be considered suitable in our Churches, and especially within liturgical and paraliturgical settings. It was the case of a young man with no known pedigree, no known qualifications, no antecedents in business, etc; but who came back home from South Africa, throwing money around, single-handedly building a Church and dedicating it with fanfare, and no one asking any questions. It was alleged that many among the clergy and laity in that part of the country knew that the young man could not have made such stupendous wealth in any legitimate manner, and that many even knew for sure that he was a drug baron.