[Opinion] Fr Unegbu: Nigeria’s Shortcut-to-Wealth Culture Is a Symptom of a Broken System

Fr. Chidi Unegbu

Catholic priest and commentator Angelo Chidi Unegbu has offered a pointed reflection on the growing culture of quick wealth and spiritual shortcuts in Nigeria. In a recent message shared with followers, the priest argued that the individuals often blamed for such practices may not be the real problem. Instead, he believes they are symptoms of deeper structural failures within society.

According to Fr Unegbu, public reactions to viral reorts involving spiritual practitioners often miss the more important question. Rather than focusing on the individuals involved, he suggests Nigerians should look more closely at the conditions that produce such situations in the first place.

“Before you ask who is standing here, ask yourself a deeper question,” he wrote. “The people in this picture are not the problem. They are only symptoms of a society where many now believe in shortcuts to success.”

In his view, the desire for sudden prosperity has become a widespread mindset cutting across different religious and spiritual expressions. He points out that the same mentality can appear in various forms: river sacrifices, prosperity offerings, “seed sowing,” or other spiritual formulas that promise instant wealth without the long process of building enterprise or opportunity.

“Whether it is a river sacrifice, ‘seed sowing,’ tithing for prosperity, or any spiritual formula promising instant wealth, the mindset is the same,” he noted.

For Fr Unegbu, this growing attraction to miracle solutions reflects deeper frustration among ordinary citizens who feel trapped in difficult economic circumstances. When people lose confidence in systems that are supposed to provide opportunities, they may begin to search for hope anywhere it appears.

“The real issue here,” he wrote, “is the political and economic structure that keeps people hungry, jobless, and desperate.”

The priest argues that a society where large numbers of young people face unemployment, poverty, and limited prospects naturally becomes fertile ground for promises of supernatural success. In such an environment, spiritual shortcuts can appear attractive to those struggling to find a path forward.

“When a nation fails its youths,” he said, “they will look anywhere for hope.”

For Fr Unegbu, addressing the problem therefore requires more than condemning or arresting individuals involved in controversial practices. Instead, he believes the focus should be on rebuilding the foundations of society itself.

“If we want to end these practices,” he said, “we must fix the foundation: better governance, better education, real job opportunities.”

He also pointed to the broader political structure as part of the discussion, suggesting that meaningful solutions may require deeper conversations about regional governance and self-determination.

“Besides,” he added, “these can hardly be achieved without a regional or self-government.”

Until those deeper structural issues are addressed, Fr Unegbu believes society may continue to produce the very phenomena it often condemns. Focusing only on individuals, he suggests, risks overlooking the wider system that shapes their actions.

“Until then,” he wrote, “don’t look for the faces of those standing here. Look at the system that created them.”

Rev. Fr Angelo Chidi Unegbu
(Originally shared via Facebook)