Fubara: Nigeria Needs God-Fearing Leaders to Tackle Corruption, Drive National Progress

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said Nigeria’s quest for sustainable development and good governance depends largely on the emergence of leaders guided by the fear of God, arguing that the country’s socio-economic challenges stem from a deficit of integrity and moral leadership.

The governor made the remarks on Thursday at the Government House in Port Harcourt while receiving the World President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Erton Köhler, alongside his wife, Andriene Marques Köhler, their daughter, Mariana Marques Köhler, and other senior church officials.

Fubara said leaders who are conscious of their accountability before God would be less inclined to abuse public trust, noting that the absence of such values has fuelled corruption, inequality, poverty and rising criminality across the country.

“Our country is where it is today because we lack the fear of God,” the governor said. “If you have the fear of God, there should be a limit to what you can do because you understand the supremacy of God. But when God is not in your equation, you’ll go beyond the line, and that is what has brought us to where we are today.”

He praised the Seventh-day Adventist Church for its long-standing investment in education, describing its schools and universities as critical platforms for nurturing competent and morally upright future leaders.

According to the governor, the church’s commitment to education demonstrates that religion should extend beyond preaching and denominational identity to making tangible contributions to national development through human capital development.

Fubara noted that by establishing and sustaining educational institutions, the church has continued to support Nigeria’s efforts to produce graduates equipped with knowledge, character and leadership values.

“We need the right people being in the right place, prepared properly with good minds. That is what we need, not just in Nigeria but around the whole world,” he said.

The governor also linked many of the country’s security and economic challenges to weak social welfare systems, stressing that citizens are less likely to resort to crime when they have access to quality education, affordable healthcare, decent wages and opportunities for a secure future.

He advocated a system where average-income earners can educate their children, access quality healthcare and own homes after years of productive service, insisting that such conditions would significantly reduce insecurity and other social vices.

Fubara thanked the church delegation for visiting Rivers State and for praying for the state, assuring them of his administration’s continued support for their activities.

Speaking earlier, Köhler said he was in Nigeria for a major church conference that would bring together thousands of Seventh-day Adventist ministers for leadership and empowerment training aimed at strengthening their pastoral work and service to society.

He expressed appreciation for the warm reception accorded his delegation by the Rivers State Government, describing the visit as one that would remain memorable.

The church leader also highlighted the global reach of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, revealing that it has more than 24 million members and over 182,000 places of worship spread across 212 countries and territories worldwide.