Eckankar movement’s cleric, Mr Emeka Ezeh, has traced the root of endemic corruption in the Nigeria to spiritual poverty among the populace.

Ezeh, who is the Assistant to the Spiritual Aide of Eckankar in charge of the Northern Sub-Region, stated this on Thursday at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

“We believe that as more people get to understand their role on earth, the more they understand that whatever you call corruption is a sign of spiritual decay.

“A lot of people are spiritually poor. Otherwise, why do you take those things that you do not need?

“Go to the market and ask somebody, “Is this the correct thing?’ They will tell you it is the original; collect money from you for original and give you fake.

“Somebody is supposed to resume work by 8 o’clock but comes by 10.00 a.m. and clocks in 8.00 a.m.; he would not say he does not know what he is doing.

“He is consciously poor and he thinks he is cheating the system, but he does not know in effect that he is cheating himself.

“By the time he destroys the system, he begins to come round and talk about people in leadership positions.

“Meanwhile, at your small level you have helped to lay the foundation for the collapse of the system.’’

The ECK cleric stated that elevating the spiritual consciousness of the people, which Eckankar stands for, was also a key to addressing the problem of insecurity in the country.

He noted that the more people understood that everyone is a child of God; the most likely they would live in love for one another.

“ What Eckankar is coming to do here is to make people understand that everybody is a child of God, it does not matter your region.

“And if you love your neighbour as you love yourself as many religions preach, then you would not want to hurt the person.

“People should live not by fear, but out of love for one another. When you do things out of fear, you are being compelled to do that.

“But if you do things out of love then you know that whether somebody is there watching you or not, you do what you are supposed to do, when you are suppose to do them, and then respect one another.’’

Eckankar, which means co-worker with God, is a new religious movement founded by the American Paul Twitchell in 1965.

Also called the religion of Light and Sound of God, Eckankar emphasises personal spiritual experiences as the most natural way back to God. (NAN).

Photo: Harold Klemp, Eckankar leader