Matthew Hassan-Kukah, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, has stated that despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s many lofty promises, he is leaving Nigerians “far more vulnerable” than when he assumed office on May 29, 2015.
The fiery cleric also stated that he does not doubt that the President’s health has improved over the past seven and a half years, but he wished that millions of Nigerians could enjoy a portion of Buhari’s improved health by gaining access to better healthcare services in the country.
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This was stated by the septuagenarian preacher in his 2022 Christmas Message titled “Nigeria: Let Us Turn A New Page,” which was made available to Channels Television by the Director of Social Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Fr. Christopher Omotosho.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. President, and to your entire family. I speak on behalf of myself and all Nigerians when I say that we are grateful to God that He has mercifully restored your health.
We are aware that you are healthier than you were previously. The tens of thousands of miles you have continued to cover during your international travels are evident in your springtime gait. May God grant you more healthy years.
“However, I also wish that millions of our citizens could enjoy a fraction of your health through a quantifiable improvement in the quality of health care in our nation. It is unfortunate that, despite your lofty promises, you are leaving us far more vulnerable than when you arrived, and that the corruption we believed would be fought has become a leviathan as a result of a nepotistic government.
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In my Christmas message from the previous year, I mentioned that you had violated the Constitution by failing to honour and abide by the federal character provisions of our Constitution. The evidence is all in front of us,” said Kukah.
However, he praised the President for his efforts in the area of infrastructure and in attempting to eliminate electoral fraud. “Am I to believe that you knew about the Muslim-Muslim ticket within your Party but were powerless to intervene? Kukah interjected quickly. Still, we pray for a credible, free, and fair election.
A New Methodology
Kukah lamented that abducted “children are still in the forests, in the hands of evil men” and urged Nigerians to be “vigilant” and called for a change of strategy on the part of the masses to dethrone arrogant men and women in power who are determined to turn Nigeria into a jungle.
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“This is the final holiday season for the current government administration. Let us all fulfil our responsibilities as we have the opportunity to elect new leaders. Avoid being cynical. God has not abandoned us. Choose leaders who will, in your estimation, love us, care for us, weep with us, and laugh with us. “Do not look back; only look forward,” he advised.
“Although the responses to my messages suggest that Nigerians generally listen to our voices in the wilderness, this is not always the case. The deliberate pauperization and destitution of our people, however, continues. Therefore, a shift in strategy is required for us to turn the page. We need a new strategy to confront those who sit arrogantly on the throne of power and are determined to turn our nation into a jungle.
“We need a new strategy that distinguishes honourable individuals from those who have chosen dishonour. We need a new strategy that provides a clearer moral compass for average citizens who, based on the moral strength of culture and religion, are striving to build a good society, even with flimsy foundations. We must take a firm stance and stand tall. We need new mechanisms for rejecting governmental violence.”
A Questionable Jihadist Culture
Kukah lamented that despite his numerous warnings, a questionable jihadist culture has destabilised Nigeria and the Federal Government now simply turns a blind eye.
“Before our eyes, the capital letters that spelt Nigeria are crumbling beneath the pressures and eruptive forces of primitive ethnoreligious nationalisms. In front of our eyes, a questionable jihadist culture has held our nation to ransom while the government has turned a blind eye.”
“Glory Has Left Us”
He stated that although the President’s aides have accused him of attacking their boss or speaking on behalf of Christians in the north, “none of my detractors have disputed my facts.”
“If they accuse me of stating inconvenient facts/truths, they must at least provide their interpretations of those facts. Who, for instance, will dispute the fact that our country’s glory has faded? Where is today’s respect for our voice on the African continent, which looks to us for leadership?
Is it an accomplishment to be the poverty capital of the world and one of the most violent states in the world? And our suffocating domestic and foreign debts? And you do not believe that our glory has vanished?
“Nepotism Is A Disease”
Kukah stated to the political class that every Nigerian is aware that promises made before elections are sweet, but actions taken after elections are frequently bitter.
“I implore you to cooperate and collaborate with the institutions entrusted with the responsibility for these elections…
Do not fan the flames of hatred and division any further. Seek to create a vision that can unite our nation,” he advised, even as he cautioned them to manage Nigeria’s diversity for power sharing, as nepotism has consumed the nation in recent years.
“We have paid the price for nepotism by entrusting power to mediocre who operate as a cult and view power as nothing more than an extension of the family legacy.”
Nigeria, according to Kukah, has become a tale of two cities, with wars between the rich and the poor, and “fixing our country and reclaiming it requires courage, honesty, truth, humility, trust, and firm commitment.”
He urged all Nigerians who have been entrusted with public trust and the commonwealth to fulfil the responsibilities for which they have been so handsomely compensated.
