The national imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Fuad Adeyemi, has asserted that corruption is at the bedrock of flooding, which devastated many states in the country in 2022.

Mr Adeyemi made the assertion in Birnin Kebbi on Saturday at a one-day capacity-strengthening workshop for imams and Islamic scholars on the need to join in the anti-corruption crusade.

The cleric said if most states affected by the floods had deployed the ecological funds allocated to them by the federal government to address environmental concerns, the effect would have been minimised.

He expressed regret that it had become evident that the ecological fund had not been put to judicious use in most of the states.

Mr Adeyemi, however, reassured that Nigeria remained “the best country created on earth by Almighty God’’.

He also challenged imams and leaders of the Islamic faith to ensure they did not depend on others to make their livelihoods.

Mr Adeyemi stressed that it was only when they could fend for themselves that they would be able to preach against corruption without fear or favour and only with the fear of God in their hearts.

The capacity-building, organised by the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society for Imams and Islamic scholars drawn from Kebbi, was supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

Delivering a paper entitled: “Wealth Creation for Islamic Scholars”, Nura Abdullahi-Attahiru, managing director of a rice mill in Sokoto, observed that Islamic scholars are supposed to lead their followers in all aspects of life.

While demonstrating how to convert one naira to millions of naira, Mr Abdullahi-Attahiru encouraged participants to develop multiple sources of income to be able to stay afloat on turbulent waters.

(NAN)