Osinbajo: Nigeria’s Resources Concentrated in Few Hands Due to Lack of Godliness

Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has attributed the uneven distribution of Nigeria’s wealth to the lack of godliness and integrity among those entrusted with managing the nation’s resources. He argued that many leaders derive joy from primitive accumulation of wealth rather than serving the people.

Speaking on Thursday at the 80th birthday celebration of Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) in Lagos, Osinbajo delivered a keynote address titled “Church as a Responsible Pathfinder in Attaining the Nigeria of Our Dreams.”

He stressed that the Nigerian church must rediscover and preach the true gospel of hard work, honesty, productivity, and integrity—values that transformed Europe during the Puritan era.

Citing the Book of Acts of the Apostles chapter four, Osinbajo said:
“In that Bible passage, people on their own sold their properties and put the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles. The truth is that if the proceeds were just put there, the people would still be hungry, but there was need for equitable distribution among the people. So, seven men full of the Holy Spirit were chosen to do the distribution. If those entrusted with the resources are not godly, then there would be problems.”

He urged Nigerians to reject corruption and embrace honest work, saying:
“The gospel tells us that hard work, productivity, integrity, honesty and other good virtues are the bedrock of the growth and development of any nation… The Nigeria of our dream stands a chance of emerging if the church turns to preaching that doing honest work is divine and that caring for the poor is true religion.”

The former Vice President also criticized the belief that prosperity would come without effort, warning that Nigerians must use their God-given ability to be productive.

Reflecting on his political journey, Osinbajo thanked Bishop Okonkwo for supporting his bid as a vice-presidential candidate in 2014, recalling efforts to engage with Christian leaders who were initially reluctant to hear him.

Also speaking at the event, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Major General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd.), who chaired the occasion, urged Nigerians to reflect on the nation’s progress since independence. He asked:
“We really need to ask ourselves what we have got under the belt since 1960. President Bola Tinubu recently came back from a visit to Brazil, but for over 40 years now, Brazil has been producing vehicles, even aircraft from their own steel factories. What about our own Ajaokuta and others?”

In his remarks, Bishop Okonkwo called on Nigerians to evaluate the country’s state of affairs and work collectively toward achieving the vision of the nation’s founding fathers.
“For over a decade now, we have been organizing this annual lecture and bringing men and women of calibre to speak on topical national issues. We hope that the Nigeria of our dream… will realise its potential one day. The task of getting that done lies with each and every one of us,” he said.