The Vice-Chairman of The Apostolic Church Nigeria (TACN), Pastor Amos Geoffery, has criticised the church for failing to do enough to address insecurity, corruption and other social challenges confronting the country.
Geoffery said genuine repentance, moral discipline and a willingness to confront wrongdoing were necessary to bring about national transformation and address Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
The cleric made the remarks on Sunday, October 18, 2026, during the 28th Annual Convention of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Olorunda Area, held under the theme, “Be Zealous Therefore and Repent,” drawn from Revelation 3:19. The three-day convention, which began on Friday, October 16, was convened by Pastor E.E. Eziyodawe.
Speaking at the event, Geoffery questioned whether the church was adequately fulfilling its responsibility to promote righteousness and confront the moral failures contributing to the country’s problems.
He argued that the persistence of Boko Haram insurgency and kidnappings raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the church’s efforts to promote repentance and moral transformation in society. “The church is not doing enough, otherwise there wouldn’t have been Boko Haram, nor kidnappings in Nigeria. Where are we? Are we really doing what we should be doing?” he asked.
Geoffery maintained that repentance was essential to national healing, stressing that the church had a responsibility to promote genuine spiritual and moral transformation beyond its congregations. “Repentance brings healing to our society, and helps to avert the wrath of God, and that is the duty of the church for the entire nation,” he said.
The cleric also expressed concern over what he described as the reluctance of some church leaders to challenge political authorities over corruption and other forms of wrongdoing.
According to him, financial relationships between religious institutions and political leaders could compromise the church’s ability to hold those in power accountable. “We’re afraid to talk to the powers today, because they’ll talk back to us. They know the corruption happening in the church. They know how much money we go and collect from them,” he said.
He warned that the church could lose its moral authority to criticise government officials if it failed to confront corruption and other questionable practices within its own institutions.
Geoffery argued that religious leaders must first examine their conduct and address internal shortcomings before demanding accountability from political officeholders. “So when you want to talk to powers, and you look within, you’ll realise that what you want to talk to powers about is within us in the church,” he added.
He further urged Christians to embrace genuine repentance, insisting that addressing the moral failures within religious institutions and society was critical to overcoming the challenges confronting the nation. “Terrible things are happening in the world today, it is our repentance that will change the world,” he said.