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Tag: Bishop Kukah

  • Federal govt reveals how VP Shettima convinced Bishop Kukah to accept Tinubu’s appointment

    Federal govt reveals how VP Shettima convinced Bishop Kukah to accept Tinubu’s appointment

    The minister of Education, Tunji Alausa has revealed how President Bola Tinubu-led administration successfully convinced the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, to accept the role of Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of the Governing Council at the newly established Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, Kaduna State.

    TheNewsGuru reports that Alausa while speaking at the inauguration of the university’s Governing Council and Principal Officers in Abuja explained that Vice President Kashim Shettima played a crucial role in nominating and persuading Bishop Kukah to take on the appointment.

    Recounting the Vice President’s involvement, Alausa while speaking at the Ministry’s conference hall, said, “Bishop Kukah is very busy. When the Vice President was nominating Bishop Kukah, he was very worried that I’m going to put a lot of burden on his mind. The Vice President said Bishop Kukah has so much respect for him.”

    He continued, quoting the Vice President: “I’m giving the words of the Vice President now. ‘He has so much respect for me. Every time I’ve asked him to do something, he accepts that service. I want to ask him to take on the position of the Pro Chancellor. I know he’s already stretched to the limit, but for my own selfishness, for the country, in service of the country, I will ask him. And I know he will not say no.’”

    According to the Education minister, Vice President Shettima reached out to Bishop Kukah, the religious leader agreed to take on the position, saying, “Yes, I will do it.”

    The Minister expressed his gratitude to Bishop Kukah for accepting the role, despite his many responsibilities, describing his decision as a reflection of his commitment to education and his dedication to serving the community.

  • Edo: In 2023, Tinubu did not sign any peace accord-Bishop Kukah reveals

    Edo: In 2023, Tinubu did not sign any peace accord-Bishop Kukah reveals

    The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, has said there’s no point making noise as in 2023 President Bola Tinubu did not sign a peace accord during his presidential candidacy.

    Kukah made the statement in Benin City at the Edo Election Security Townhall, raising concerns about political candidates neglecting this key practice.

    Kukah, a convener of the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, warned that the refusal of political candidates to sign the peace accord sends a negative message, potentially encouraging electoral violence.

    He noted that the peace accord is a moral obligation rather than a legal requirement, stating, “The National Peace Committee, what we do is not in the Electoral Act; it’s not law, it’s moral. You can’t compel people to love their neighbor.”

    Kukah also pointed out that during the 2015 elections, former PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar initially missed the signing of the peace pact but signed it the next day. Similarly, Tinubu’s failure to sign the peace accord as a candidate in 2023 was not capitalized on by the opposition, Kukah said. Advertisement While the peace accord is not legally binding, Kukah emphasized that skipping it can send damaging signals to the public.

  • Easter: FG should devise a robust strategy to lead the country towards national healing – Kukah

    Easter: FG should devise a robust strategy to lead the country towards national healing – Kukah

    Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has posited that Nigeria is reaping what it sowed yesterday.

    Kukah made his position known while addressing the nation’s challenges during his Easter message made available to newsmen on Sunday.

    According to him, the Federal Government should devise a robust strategy to reverse the country’s course and lead it towards national healing.

    “Our leaders chose the feast rather than the fast. We are today reaping what we sowed yesterday. For over 60 years, our leaders have looked like men in a drunken stupor, staggering, stumbling, and fumbling,” Kukah expressed.

    He underscored pervasive corruption and its debilitating effects on the nation, describing Nigeria as being in a state of hangover that renders it comatose.

    However, the bishop remained optimistic about Nigeria’s potential for greatness, urging citizens to journey together towards a new dawn of resurrection.

    “The corruption of the years of a life of immoral and sordid debauchery has spread like cancer, destroying all our vital organs. The result is a state of hangover that has left our nation comatose.

    “Notwithstanding, Easter is a time to further reflect on the road not taken. It is a time to see if this Golgotha of pain can lead us to the new dawn of the resurrection. Nigeria can and Nigeria will be great again. Let us ride this tide together in hope,” he stated.

    Proposing urgent measures to alleviate economic hardship and hunger, Kukah stated the need for inclusive policies to eradicate nepotism and foster patriotism.

    He called for transparent recruitment methods and a clear communications strategy to inspire accountability and achieve national goals.

    He said: “The government must design a more comprehensive and wide-ranging method of recruitment that is transparent as a means of generating patriotism and reversing the ugly face of feudalism and prebendalism

    “There is a need for a clear communications strategy that will serve to inspire and create timelines of expectations of results from policies.

    “There is a need for clarity over questions of who, what, when, and how national set goals are to be attained and who can be held accountable.”

    Kukah also criticised the prevalent security situation, describing the military’s extensive involvement in civilian affairs as concerning.

    He stated the importance of maintaining the military’s professionalism and integrity while addressing the root causes of insecurity.

  • Easter: Bishop Kukah sends strong message to Tinubu against replacing Military with Hunters

    Easter: Bishop Kukah sends strong message to Tinubu against replacing Military with Hunters

    The Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah has warned President Bola Tinubu against employing the services of hunters, vigilante and others he called unprofessional groups in the fight against insecurity.

    He urged the president to come up with a robust template on how to revive and put Nigerians on a path of national healing.

    He admonished President Tinubu to include a deliberate policy of inclusion that would drastically end the immoral culture of nepotism.

    Kukah in his Easter message said, “The government must design a more comprehensive and wide-ranging method of recruitment that is transparent as a means of generating patriotism and reversing the ugly face of feudalism and prebendalism.”

    The Bishop said, “there is need for a clear communications strategy that will serve to inspire and create time-lines of expectations of results from policies.

    “There is need for clarity over questions of the Who, What, When, and How national set goals are to be attained and who can be held accountable.”

    “This will take us away from the current Communications-by-announcement-of-appointments policies as if this is all that the government is doing,” he observed.

    According to him, the notion of rejigging the security architecture is a hackneyed cliché that is now at best, an oxymoron, adding that “it is difficult to fathom the current situation regarding the ubiquity of the military in Nigerians national life.”

    He observed that it was impossible to explain how Nigerians can say they are in a civilian democracy with the military literally looking like an army of occupation with an octopussean spread across all the 36 states and Abuja, stating that it has very serious consequences both for its professionalism, its integrity and perceived role in protecting society.

    He noted, “No other person than the immediate past Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor who recently referred to the military as facing the dilemma of what he called, ‘see finish’.

    “It is now difficult to say whether the persistence of insecurity is a cause or a consequence of military ubiquity. Trillions of Naira continue to go into bottomless pits with little measurable benefits.

    “Our military’s professionalism cannot be diluted by the recruitment of hunters, vigilante groups and other unprofessional and untrained groups. This is not sustainable because it leaves the military open to ridicule and perceptions of surrender.”

    He lamented that fighting insecurity was now an enterprise.

    He stated that it is cheering to hear that the President has announced that kidnapping and banditry are now to be treated as acts of terrorism, stressing that Nigerians need to see a relentless and implacable plan to end the menace with a definite deadline for bringing the terrorists to their knees, no matter what it would take.

    According to him, “Without a timeline for eliminating these evil, despicable, malevolent and execrable demons from among us, our future as a people will be imperilled.”

    He commended the government over its promise to stop paying ransom to bandits and kidnappers, saying that merely going to the forest and returning with victims leaves the government open to suspicion from citizens.

    He said that the government needs to show results of a well coordinated plan and timelines to bring back all citizens in captivity and give Nigerians back their country.

    Kukah encouraged the President to continue on the path of probity, to take further steps to cut down the overbearing costs of governance and to put in place more comprehensive plans towards achieving both food and physical security across the nation, pointing out that merely distributing money through already corruption-riddled structures was not enough and diminished the dignity of the citizens.

    “No one needs to line up to receive aid when we are not in a war. Give our people back their farms and develop a comprehensive agricultural plan to put our country back on the path of honour and human dignity,” he emphasised.

  • Plateau Killings: Enemies of the country waging war against Nigeria – Bishop Kukah

    Plateau Killings: Enemies of the country waging war against Nigeria – Bishop Kukah

    Matthew Hassan-Kukah, the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, has reiterated that the unending killings in Plateau State is beyond herder-farmer clashes, noting that the murderers “want their own kind of Nigeria according to their ideology”.

    Bishop Kukah added that a war is being waged against Nigeria by the enemies of the country.

    The  Sokoto Catholic Diocese Bishop  made this known in a statement on Saturday, charging the government to resist the agenda of the marauders and protect Nigerians.

    Kukah  strongly condemned the attacks by terrorists on communities in the Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of the Plateau State on Christmas eve.

    It was gathered  that the attacks have so far claimed over 200 lives with hundreds of houses and farmlands burnt.

    Kukah described the terrorists as “sons of Satan” who chose to extinguish and snatch the light of the joy of Christmas from thousands of people on the Plateau.

    “We may pretend that we are not at war, but truly, a war is being waged against the Nigerian state and its people. God forbid, but we could snap anytime, anywhere and for any reason,” he said.

    “We have questions crying for answers: Who are these killers? Where are they coming from? Who is sponsoring them? What are their grouses and against whom? What do they want? Whom do they want? Who are they working for? When will it all end? Why are they invincible and invisible? Who is offering them cover?

    “ These people want power. They want it on their own terms. They want their own kind of Nigeria according to their ideology.

    “These killings are just a preface. These killings are no longer acts by herders and farmers over grazing fields.”

    Kukah added that the military cannot continue to suffer intelligence failure.

  • Tinubu have no excuses, God will not forgive if you fail – Bishop Kukah

    Tinubu have no excuses, God will not forgive if you fail – Bishop Kukah

    The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Mathew Kukah has said the Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has no excuses to make the country a better place for the citizens.

    Kukah made this known in his 2023 Christmas message themed, “Time to Reclaim Nigeria’s Greatness,” stating neither God nor history will forgive Tinubu if he fails.

    The cleric is of the view that the President has no excuse because, for many years, he had prayed, dreamt, wished, and plotted to lead Nigeria.

    He said, “Mr. President, Sir, congratulations and a happy Christmas. Now, you have what you prayed for, what you dreamt of, what you longed for. For the better part of over 20 years, you have plotted to be our President. For years, you campaigned for a new Nigeria through restructuring or overhauling the defective machinery of the Nigerian state.

    “Mr President, you have no excuses before God or the people of Nigeria. Neither God nor history will not forgive you if you fail. This is our moment, our date with history. Now, all eyes and ears are on you. Our prayers for a united country are with you,” part of Kukah’s message read.

  • I’m Saddened Judiciary is getting sucked into Politics- Kuka

    I’m Saddened Judiciary is getting sucked into Politics- Kuka

    Bishop Catholic diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has expressed sadness over what he described as members of the judiciary and Catholic priests getting sucked into politics.

    Kukah spoke at the 8th House of Justice Summit held in Kaduna State with the theme ‘Electoral Accountability and Democratic Stability’.

    “I am saddened by the fact that the judiciary has now found itself being sucked into politics,” he said without elaborating further on the nature of political involvement.

    “I would have also been sad — and I’m also sad — to the extent that even us who are priests in the church, we are getting sucked into politics because you will never come out the same.

    “You go to wrestle with a pig inside poto poto (mud). You may defeat the pig, but you cannot go around showing yourself to see what you look like.”

    Noting that he was not referring to politicians as pigs, the cleric explained that politics has its own rhyme and rhythm, especially in contrast to someone who has a certain moral responsibility.

    “Elections will always give us what I call unintended consequences. But also, it is important to understand that a contest is always a contest. And you use the experience of this to prepare for the next contest,” he said.

    The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese urged Nigerians not to be despondent, saying the best is still to come. Rather than worry about the next generation, he argued that Nigerians should be focused on the present.

    “You are using mobile phones today. It wasn’t the generation that went before us that gave us mobile phones. Every generation will contest its own problems. Let’s be concerned with the problems of the moment,” Kukah said.

    “Yes, we dream about the future. But like somebody said, today is the tomorrow you dreamt about yesterday. But let’s not be nervous. We should be nervous that we are underperforming because there are things we could have done differently and we can do differently”.

     

  • Nollywood star, Ali Nuhu, Ahmed Musa, others for ‘Arewa Hero’s Award’

    Nollywood star, Ali Nuhu, Ahmed Musa, others for ‘Arewa Hero’s Award’

    Nigerian actor, Ali Nuhu, Super Eagles player, Ahmed Musa, and Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, have been nominated for the 2023 ‘Arewa Hero’s &Philanthropic Award Of Excellence’.

    The celebrities were named among other Nigerians in the nomination list released by the organisers, MACA Peace Ambassador & Unity Affair Africa, on Friday in Abuja.

    Nuhu, popularly known as ‘king of Kannywood’,the Hausa film industry, was nominated alongside other stars from the region for the annual awards slated for Sept. 30 at Arewa House, Kaduna.

    Other Nigerians listed for the award include actor Rabi’u Rikadawa; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Gov.Uba Sani of Kaduna State; Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum and his Nasarawa State counterpart, Abdullahi Sule.

    The Emir Zazzau, Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli; Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue; Laylah Othman; Rev. Mathias Yashim; Prince Bala Audu and renowned cleric, Dr Emmanuel Omale, also made the list among others.

    Nyam Terry, Chairman, MACA Peace Ambassador & Unity Affair Africa, said the annual Hero’s & Philanthropic Award was to honour those who had contributed to the development of the northern region.

    According to him, those who made the list were painstakingly selected for their consisted commitment to humanitarian initiatives, positive influence on communities ,youth empowerment, and peace building.

    “This year’s Hero’s Award with the theme ‘Celebrating our Heroes’, seeks to honour industries, ministries, government officials, celebrities, organisations and individuals who have in one way or the other given back to society.

    “These Nigerians from the northern region have, in one way or the other, contributed to its development and peaceful coexistence.

    “We believe that this recognition will always be the push for them to achieve more in their service to the society,” he said.

  • Don’t kill yourselves for politicians, they’re all friends struggling for national cake-Kukah cautions Nigerians

    Don’t kill yourselves for politicians, they’re all friends struggling for national cake-Kukah cautions Nigerians

     

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah has cautioned Nigerians not to die for politicians as they are all friends struggling to grab from the national cake.

    According to the priest, opposition politicians are friends jostling for their piece of the national cake and shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

    Kukah spoke in an interview on a national tv on Tuesday hours after the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu; and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, bantered at the private wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday.

    Kukah, who is the Convener of the National Peace Committee, said political fanatics should learn a lesson from the public exchange of pleasantries between Tinubu and Atiku.

    He said the message from the banter is that political loyalists of both frontline presidential candidates for the 2023 election should be wise, eschew violence and not kill themselves for people drinking from the same pool.

    “These politicians are struggling and they’ve lived their lives struggling for the national cake which they will distribute amongst themselves. It is therefore in the interest of ordinary Nigerians to know that they have to vote to stay alive,” the cleric said.

    Kukah also said that enthusiasts of politicians “must understand that these politicians know themselves” regardless of their grandstanding and posturing.

    He, therefore, advised supporters of candidates all over the country to be “a bit more restrained and wise”.

    “We ordinary people must figure out how to manage our passion when it comes to politics. Don’t take seriously the grandstanding of the politicians.

    “All the things you see about them abusing themselves or quarreling, you will think they will never shake hands. They are very good friends, and many of them drink from the same pool. So, don’t go and kill yourself for nothing. That is what that message is all about,” he said.

    Disturbing Records
    With about three months to the next general elections, political violence seems to be on the increase with some recorded in parts of Zamfara and Lagos states, spreading fears about the safety of voters at the polls in 2023.

    A convoy of Atiku was reportedly attacked by hoodlums in Borno State last Wednesday. A rally by the former Vice President in Kaduna on October 17, 2022 was also disrupted by thugs.

    Also, there have been increasing attacks on the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the latest being on Thursday when hoodlums burnt two offices of the electoral body in Ogun and Osun states, destroying 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), 904 ballot boxes, amongst others.

    Worried by the endless attacks, INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu on Friday held an emergency meeting with members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

    Yakubu said about 50 attacks have been recorded across the country since campaigns began on September 28, 2022.

    The INEC boss urged the committee to take decisive action to nip such occurrences in the bud.

  • Bishop Kukah charges political actors to be disciplined as electioneering campaigns beckon

    Bishop Kukah charges political actors to be disciplined as electioneering campaigns beckon

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has called for discipline among political actors, as parties prepare for campaigns ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    Kukah made the call at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s 2022 peace conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Kukah, a panellist at the conference electoral violence in Nigeria was attributable to lack of discipline among political actors.

    “Ordinary Nigerians have no problem with religion; it is the manipulation and systemic manipulation of our different identities that is responsible for our violence,’’ he stressed.

    He charged religion leaders to do their best to sensitise the public on the need for peace, but insisted that political actors must play their roles.

    Another panellist, Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State said elected officials should regard themselves as being privileged or opportune to participate and contribute to nation building.

    He said Nigeria needed a president who would be a leader for Nigerians across board and not a sectional leader.

    In his contribution, the Regional Director for Africa at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Prof. Christopher Fomunyoh, said Nigeria could not afford to erode its past election gains in 2023.

    The NDI is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions.

    “Elections have consequences; peaceful elections have a lot of benefits,’’ Fomunyoh, also a panellist said.

    He stressed that other African countries were looking up to Nigeria as the giant on the continent to conduct peaceful elections.

    “No country stumbles into credible, meaningful elections by chance; there has to be a national consensus that the citizens want meaningful elections.

    “Once that national consensus is there, it is going to raise the bar for stakeholders to comply with that national consensus.

    “The political leaders should make sure in their conversations with their supporters that they talk about non-violent elections,’’ he stressed.

    Executive Director at Centre for Democracy and Development, Dr Idayat Hassan, in her contribution, urged all stakeholders to take responsibility toward a successful conduct of the 2023 general elections.

    “It is not enough for us to point accusing fingers towards the electoral umpire; we all need to take responsibility,’’ she said.

    The Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Ms Cynthia Mbamalu, also a panellist, said political actors, media and civil societies must play their roles properly to ensure a peaceful election in 2023.

    Mbamalu said there was also the need for security agencies to pledge their alliance to the nation’s Constitution and not to a ruling party.

    She also called for uniformity in the implementation of rules and regulations guiding the conduct of elections.

    She said preparation for campaigns should not entail the amassing of arms and ammunition by politicians who should instead be sensitising their supporters to embrace peaceful conduct.

    In his remarks, the Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, said Nigeria must seize the opportunity of the 2023 general elections to address injustices facing the country.

    The theme of the conference was “Nation building: The role of peaceful elections in a multi-ethnic context.’’