Communication’s Day: Corruption, the Oxygen Sustaining Nigeria – Arogundade
By Exponent News, Akure. 1st June, 2025.
In a message of both hope and discomfort to the good people of Nigeria, Reverend Bishop Jude Arogundade of the Ondo State Catholic Diocese stated that corruption is the oxygen still sustaining the country today. Speaking during this year’s World Communications Day, themed “Share with Gentleness the Hope That Is in Your Hearts” (1 Peter 3:15-16), which was held in Akure, Bishop Arogundade told the congregation that it is wrong for individuals to acquire for themselves the resources that belong to everyone. He therefore appealed to journalists to report the evil deeds committed in society.
While advising them to expose corruption in government, Bishop Arogundade also condemned the inhumane treatment and injustice perpetrated by the wealthy elite for the purpose of oppressing the weak and the underprivileged in society.
Similarly, Bishop Arogundade called on government and societal stakeholders to engage in dialogue with herdsmen in the country, particularly in Ondo State, to promote peace and tranquility so that society can move forward. He condemned entirely the practices of land grabbing and the destruction of people’s farms by herdsmen. He described it as wrong and
intolerable for foreigners to come from nowhere, dominate, and destroy the farming activities of individuals on their own lands.
He referenced some states in the Northern region where, according to him, ten (10) out of the nineteen (19) states are controlled by Fulani individuals, which, in his view, should not be the case as they are not originally from Nigeria. It should be recalled that the Northern region of Nigeria comprises 19 states: Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Kwara, and Kogi. Bishop Arogundade asserted that no indigenous people would allow their land and property to be destroyed by foreigners and expect them not to take action to stop such heinous acts. For this reason, he challenged government stakeholders to find a lasting solution to these practices so that peace can prevail.
In another development, Bishop Arogundade charged journalists—whose responsibility is to report societal issues to the public—to continue sharing stories that unite the society and promote peace, rather than those that stir chaos and set the nation on fire. He urged them not to cover up corruption but to expose anyone found guilty of such acts, for the progress of society. While calling on members of the press to embrace solutions journalism, which he described as very important, he noted that this approach would help the public become more aware of the positive work being done by the government. Arogundade prayed for journalists, asking that God continue to grant them wisdom and safety as they go about the noble task of communicating truth to society and the world at large.
