The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Southern Region office has called on inter-religious leaders in Bo District to support the Commission in preaching corruption messages to their congregations. About forty leaders from both the Christian and Muslim faiths availed themselves at the ACC’s Bo Regional Conference Hall, 10 Bo-Pujehun Drive, Kebbie Town, Bo District, on Thursday 14th July, 2022 on the invitation of the Commission.
Delibrating on the essence of the engagement, ACC’s Southern Region Manager, Momodu Sittar, said religious leaders do not only command large following, they also command huge respect from their followers, who tend to obey their preachings. He said that the fight against corruption cannot be fought in insolation, hence the need for partnership and support from spiritual leaders as well. “You should inculcate in your believers the values of integrity for them to change their bad ways and practices to positive ones,” he said.
Speaking on the purpose of the engagement, ACC’s Public Education Officer, Yangie D. Sesay said corruption has the tendency of destroying our relationship with God, while underscoring the relevance of such partnership with inter-religious leaders with the hope that corruption messages would be preached to people from both faiths.
The Christian religious leaders present unanimously accepted that corruption is considered a sinful act as referenced in Proverbs 13:11: “Wealth gotten from vanity will diminish: but he that gathered by labour shall increase.” The Vice Chairman of Ministers Prayer Network (MPN) South, Bishop Joseph .T. Swarray, said that corruption is more of a spiritual issue since it is an issue of integrity. He said such assigment should be part of their spiritual responsibility since citizens now see corruption as an accepted norm in Sierra Leone, noting that the Holy Bible attributes coveteousness and greed as the lead causes of corruption, emphasizing the reason why God commanded man: “Thou shall not steal.”
Highlighting the significance of spiritual leaders in the fight against corruption, Professor Ishmail Sesay, Muftie of United Council of Imams in Bo District cited that in the Holy Quran 7-Surah Al-A’raf (The Heights) 85-86 Allah commanded Muslims saying “ Oh my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be believers.”
“Consequently, anyone who fails to adhere to this command, his/her judgement is hell, where there is eternal unimaginable suffering,” he concluded.
Climaxing the engagement, religious leaders appreciated the Commission for such fruitful engagement, and expressed their unresolved support to spread a unified moral message to their congregations during their daily and weekly worship