CBCN Secretary General Fr. Michael Banjo urges Nigerians to reject corruption and vote for leaders of integrity to achieve lasting peace amid insecurity
Newsroom (22/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a powerful Christmas message delivered amid Nigeria’s deepening security challenges, the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, has called on citizens to reclaim the nation’s future by making principled civic choices, particularly during elections.
Speaking at the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols held on December 14 at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Fr. Banjo identified dishonesty, corruption, and exploitation as the primary barriers to genuine peace. He warned that ungodliness in public and private life has created fertile ground for selfishness, injustice, and violence.
“If we want peace in Nigeria, we must stop trading our future for crumbs and begin to give glory to God by voting for leaders of integrity, compassion, and proven character, leaders who fear God and truly serve the common good,” Fr. Banjo declared.
He stressed that when leaders govern without fear of God, conscience erodes, injustice proliferates, and violence thrives unchecked. Peace, he argued, is impossible where power lacks accountability, wealth is pursued without conscience, and authority is exercised without service.
Fr. Banjo sharply criticised the practice of selling votes for temporary gains, such as “a bag of rice or a few naira,” or selecting leaders based on tribal, religious, or regional affiliations rather than character, competence, and commitment to the common good.
“There can be no peace when we sell our votes… or choose leaders based on tribe, religion, or region rather than character,” he said. “When elections are traded for personal benefit, conscience is sacrificed for convenience, and truth is exchanged for loyalty to narrow interests, we deny God the glory He deserves. Where God is not honoured in our civic responsibility, peace cannot endure.”
Linking the country’s persistent insecurity – including killings, abductions, and targeted attacks on communities, particularly Christian ones – to widespread ungodliness, Fr. Banjo lamented the inadequate response from authorities.
“For too long, persistent killings, abductions, and targeted violence… have been met with silence, denial, or half measures,” he noted.
He described it as unfortunate that Nigeria appeared to require external pressure, including recent United States intervention, before addressing insecurity with the seriousness it demands.
“Protecting life is not a favour prompted by foreign pressure; it is the primary duty of the government,” Fr. Banjo asserted, adding emphatically, “Every Nigerian life matters regardless of whether he or she is a Christian or Muslim.”
The cleric extended his critique to everyday practices, warning that peace cannot coexist with fraud or exploitation, even in ordinary transactions.
“There can be no peace within us when money is made through fraud, corruption, or exploitation,” he said. Using vivid examples, he continued: “If you sell tomatoes in the market and hide rotten ones under fresh ones, or tamper with fuel meters so customers pay for more than they receive, you may gain temporarily, but you do not honour God. And what does not give glory to God cannot give peace.”
Fr. Banjo also turned attention to family life, emphasising that domestic peace vanishes where forgiveness is withheld, resentment festers, or disrespect and violence prevail.
“There can be no peace in our homes when couples and family members refuse to forgive… or when a husband is violent or a wife openly disrespects her husband,” he observed. In contrast, homes rooted in forgiveness, love, and mutual respect honour God and become sanctuaries of peace.
Concluding on a note of hope drawn from the Christmas message, Fr. Banjo reminded Nigerians that the Incarnation affirms God’s presence among them.
“It is precisely in the face of the painful realities confronting our nation that the message of Christmas must be clearly heard. The mystery of the Incarnation assures us that we are not alone. God is Emmanuel. He is truly with us,” he said.
Held on Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, the celebration itself embodied the Church’s call to rejoice amid hardship.
“To rejoice is to refuse despair,” Fr. Banjo explained. “It is to carry hope within us and to become a sign of hope for others. We rejoice when we choose gratitude over bitterness, when families still pray together despite empty pockets, when we share the little we have with those who do not have, and when we remain warm and compassionate to one another.”
In a nation that honours God by protecting every human life, Fr. Banjo concluded, true peace can finally take root.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACi Africa
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