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Tag: Bishop Kukah

  • Jonathan, Tinubu, clergy eulogise Bishop Kukah at 70

    Jonathan, Tinubu, clergy eulogise Bishop Kukah at 70

    Statesmen, including former President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday in Abuja eulogised Bishop Matthew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, as a man of peace, striving for a better Nigeria.

    The leaders spoke at a dinner to celebrate Kukah’s 70th birthday anniversary.

    In his remarks, Jonathan described Kukah as a priest, who craved for peace and oneness of Nigeria; who would go to any length to ensure unity and justice.

    He noted that no matter the level of his friendship with leaders, Kukah “bashed’’ them when he felt they were not doing the right thing.

    According to him, it is not surprising that the theme of the conversation is focusing on what the organisers identified as “Nigeria’s unfinished greatness: Next steps’’.

    “Nigeria is indeed a work-in-progress.

    “Until that work is done people like Bishop Kukah who God has positioned as the conscience of the nation will continue to be around to constantly hold the mirror of our progression to our national face.

    “In the course of the last few years since I left government, I have been involved in the work of promoting democracy, credible elections and peaceful transitions across Africa.

    “This is the focus of my Foundation, the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation,’’ he said.

    The former president said that from his travels and interactions, he found that experiences and struggles for development were similar in many parts of Africa.

    According to him, Nigeria may not be where everyone wants it to be, but everyone should not give up or lose hope by focusing on only the negatives.

    “Judging from where we are coming from since independence in 1960, we may have been moving slowly in our journey of nationhood, but it is a journey of progress, all the same.

    “Our greatness is still work-in-progress because we have not been able to adequately deploy the enviable human and natural resources that God gave us, to full advantage.

    “It is a task we will continue to work on and improve upon,’’ he said.

    Jonathan noted that many people, especially youths were becoming increasingly disillusioned about the nation’s politics and its democracy.

    “We must remain on the democratic path, however, because it is the only practical way of effectively managing our diversity, developing sustainably and recording progress as a nation.

    “The task before all of us is not to lower our guard, lest the democracy we cherish today succumbs to threats and recedes into fascism tomorrow.

    “Towards this goal, we are again faced with a good opportunity of choosing our leaders as the nation prepares to go to the polls next year.

    “Let us choose those that will take us to the desired destination and the promise land,’’ he stressed.

    The former president expressed joy that Nigerian youths are participating actively in the politics of 2023.

    He noted that according to the latest figures from INEC, youths constitute the majority of the 96.2 million registered voters.

    “That is a good sign. My charge to all youths that have registered ahead of the 2023 elections is to endeavour to walk their talk by making sure they come out to vote on Election Day.

    “They should, by all means resist the machinations of unscrupulous politicians who would wish to exploit them by luring them to commit acts of violence or disrupt the process of free and fair elections.

    “Our recent experience with the heightened youth interest in politics shows how desirous they are of participating directly in the governance process.

    “They now know better not to lend their youthful energy to unpatriotic acts during elections,’’ Jonathan said.

    He added that patriotic citizens must contribute through great intellection to guide those running the affairs of state without making their intervention look so adversarial and confrontational.

    “A country grows on the hope and fervent aspirations of the citizens.

    “We have a country to build and one of the key instruments is to focus on democracy and how to make it thrive and deliver on equity, justice and sustainable development,’’ he stressed.

    Jonathan added that Nigerians must stop focusing on negatives, but consider Nigeria as a growing and developing country, which would get things right soon.

    He commended Bishop Kukah for winning souls and for always being conscious of the society.

    He advised the bishop to ensure that the Kukah Centre worked with governments on national issues, rather than being confrontational.

    In another submission, Sokoto State’s Gov. Aminu Tambuwal described Kukah as a man with undying love for the country who believes in the possibility of a new Nigeria, where justice and equity reign.

    The governor, who chaired the occasion said, though Kukah’s criticism of the country’s governance had been controversial, it would push Nigeria to come out of failed political leadership.

    Tambuwal was represented by former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.

    The Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Ekiti State’s Gov. Kayode Fayemi, noted in his remarks that the bishop loves to ruffle the feathers of political leaders to steer the country away from the precipice.

    According to Fayemi, no past leader has escaped Kukah’s messages, which were not based on hate or rivalry, but suggested to solve lingering issues.

    In his comments, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, described Kukah as a great man with a great mind, who loves Nigeria overwhelmingly and never gave up on the country.

    Tinubu commended the bishop for his contributions to all sectors of the Nigerian economy which had helped to reshape the nation.

    The APC presidential candidate urged Nigerians to emulate Kukah’s legacies of service to humanity, which is the core mandate of human existence.

    Tinubu pledged to contribute to the realisation of the Kukah Centre.

    In another submission, Monsignor Antonio Guido-Filipazzi, Apostolic Nuncio of Nigeria commended Bishop Kukah for his great works and enjoined him to remain a good priest and servant of God.

    The Archbishop of Abuja Dioceses, Ignatius Kaigama, who spoke on behalf of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, said the Conference is proud of Bishop Kukah.

    Kaigama said Kukah is a mentor, leader and an asset to the Church and to the nation.

    Responding, Kukah thanked God for bringing him this far and promised unending support for the growth of the Church and the country.

    He observed that no problem was new under the sun and that Nigeria only needed to equip the people to subdue its challenges.

    He said that the Kukah Centre would focus on the development of the youth to enable them to contribute positively to the country.

    The bishop thanked all Nigerians for their support calling for more prayers for him and for the country.

    The event was attended by religious, traditional and political leaders from all walks of life.

    Highlight of the celebration was the presentation of cheques and other prizes to some young innovators.

    Kukah was born on Aug. 31, 1952 in Anchuna, Ikulu Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State to Pa Vincent and Mama Hauwa Kukah.

    The dinner was organised by Kukah Centre and Greysoft Technologies to raise funds for the building and equipping of the permanent site of the Kukah centre.

    It had “Celebrating Nigeria’s greatness: Next Step’’ as its theme.

  • As a Christian, Muslim-Muslim ticket is unacceptable – Bishop Kukah

    As a Christian, Muslim-Muslim ticket is unacceptable – Bishop Kukah

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah has described the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket as reprehensible and unacceptable.

    Speaking with Channels Television on Thursday, the Bishop insisted that Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s choice to pick Kashim Shettima as his running mate is against the will of Nigerians.

    While Tinubu is a Muslim from the Southwest, Shettima is a Muslim from the North.

    However, Kukah wondered if Muslims would accept a Christian-Christian presidential ticket.

    He said Nigerians would wait to hear what they have to say when the campaign starts.

    He said: “But moving forward, the question I have asked my friends who are Muslims, especially those who are from northern Nigeria, is a simple question: ‘Would Muslims in Nigeria or northern Nigeria be ready to make the same concession that Christians made in 1984 and 1993?

    “I think that as a Christian, this is totally reprehensible. It is not acceptable to me, but that is the decision of the APC as a party. Perhaps, when the campaign starts, we will hear what people have to say.”

  • BREAKING: Gunmen invade, kidnap priests, worshippers at Fr Kukah’s church

    Gunmen have broken into one of the parishes headed by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, and kidnapped priests and some worshippers.

    The attack took place early hours on Wednesday.

    The armed hoodlums, TheNewsguru.com learnt, kidnapped two priests and others in the rectory of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Gidan Maikambo, in the Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    ALSO READ: Bishop Mattew Kukah speaks on the lynching of Deborah Samuel

    Kukah’s Sokoto Diocese covers Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi States.

    Social Communications Director of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Fr Christopher Omotosho, confirmed the development with our correspondent.

    He said the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto is under attack and no information has been gotten as to the whereabouts of the abductees.

    Omotosho said, “As at midnight of today, 25th May, 2022, gunmen broke into the rectory of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Gidan Maikambo, Kafur LGA of Katsina State.

    “The parish priest and his assistant Rev. Frs. Stephen Ojapa, MSP, and Oliver Okpara and two boys in the house were kidnapped.

    “No information as to their whereabouts. Kindly pray for their safety and release.”Bishop

  • Nigerian govt receives Super Tucano jet fighters from U.S

    Nigerian govt receives Super Tucano jet fighters from U.S

    The presidency has received from the U.S. government Super Tucano jet fighters for the Nigerian Air Force, to fight insecurity across the country.

     

    Revealing this on Sunday, the presidency said: “Now, today, under a new US administration these jets have been delivered, and with it, a serious blow against the terrorists—with the supreme leader of Islamic State in West Africa and scores of other leaders of the group eliminated in airstrikes.”

     

    It also said that the United States’ policy and support to Nigeria have been so inconsistent over the years, especially as regards the provision of military equipment to fight the decade-long insecurity in the Sahel region.

     

    The presidency also blamed the Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah, on Sunday, over the delayed delivery of 12 Super Tucano jet fighters for the Nigerian Air Force.

     

    Bishop Kukah, alongside others (names unmentioned) were described as “the opponents of the Nigerian government”.

     

    The Presidency revealed that the reasons given for the delay—poor interreligious relations between Christianity and Islam in the country—were compounded by constant lobbying of US Congress by the government’s opponents, including Bishop Kukah.

     

    These were contained in a statement signed on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled ‘Predicting Nigeria’s collapse is a perennial pursuit of US think tanks and policy experts.”

     

    The presidency also berated the US policy experts and think tanks for their perennial attempts at predicting the country’s collapse; which, it said, does not paint a true picture of a country that has enjoyed 23 years of steady democracy 29 years since its last coup.

     

    The statement partly read: “It is a pity therefore that US policy and support towards our country, including during the Buhari administration, has been so inconsistent.

     

    “In 2015 the then newly-elected Buhari government requested US military support in the form of Super Tucano jet fighters for the Nigerian Air Force. The Nigerian military, security, and intelligence services repeatedly made this request.

     

    “The US administration of the time concurred: the delivery of such jets would help deliver a critical turning point in Nigeria’s struggle against jihadist terrorists across the Sahel.

     

    “Yet two years later, that jet delivery was rescinded, the reasons given that unless Nigeria improved its religious relations between Christianity and Islam then US support would not be forthcoming in this, and many other areas.

     

    “Such views were compounded by the constant lobbying of US Congress by the opponents of the Nigerian government who had lost the previous election, and many of their southern religious supporters—including Bishop Mathew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Sokoto, who, unsurprising, provides a supportive quote for the dustcover of the new edition of Campbell’s book.

     

    “(Kukah even took to addressing the US Congress himself, briefing his audience on the history of coups in Nigeria—without, of course, mentioning that none had occurred since 1993, some 29 years ago).

     

    “It is also inconsistent to preach the need for stability but needlessly delay sharing military equipment in the form of jets – not least when it is now proven they would have helped Nigeria much earlier defeat the terrorists who threaten our country.”

     

    The Presidency also lamented that despite glaring contrary evidence predictors of Nigeria’s state collapse have continued to bet big on their word.

     

    It said, “In 2005, a US National Intelligence Council paper “Mapping Sub-Saharan Africa’s Future” floated the idea there could be a military coup in Nigeria. However, for the last 29 years—close to a generation—there have been none.

     

    “Since the return of democracy in 1999 there have been six general elections, four elected presidents, four transfers of power—including one in 2015 between the winning opposition candidate and the losing incumbent president seeking re-election.

     

    “Yet despite all the evidence to the contrary, the collapse predictors keep doubling down on their bets. Most recently retired former US Ambassador to Nigeria 2004-7 John Campbell has updated his book, of which the first edition said: ‘while Nigerians often claim they are masters of dancing on the brink without falling off, the disastrous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, the radical Islamic insurrection Boko Haram, and escalating violence in the delta and the north may finally provide the impetus that pushes it into the abyss of state failure.”

     

    “It didn’t of course, quite the opposite: Jonathan was defeated at the 2015 general election with power peacefully transferring to the victor, President Muhammadu Buhari.”

  • Bishop Kukah replies presidency – says you’re blind to see as your govt is falling before your eyes

    Bishop Kukah replies presidency – says you’re blind to see as your govt is falling before your eyes

    Bishop Matthew Kukah known for never giving up on issues has replied presidency over his Easter sermon saying the accliamed prosperous government”is falling before their eyes, yet, they are blind to see.

    Kukah who was guest on a national TV’s program in Tuesday morning took a swipe at key principal government officers, Garba Shehu, Femi Adeshina and Lai Mohammed for their derogatory comments towards him recently in the media.

    The Presidency made reference to Bishop Kukah’s Easter message on Sunday in which he condemned the Federal Government’s policies.

    In a statement titled, “Kukah’s virus of hate” which was signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, in media and Publicity, Shehu Garba, the Presidency said:

    “As the nomination congress approaches, rumblings within the party rise to an acrimonious crescendo and the troubleshooting market blossoming in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP, which is in desperate yearning for his tested skills, we are surprised- so too are many others- that the Bishop of Sokoto Province, the Most Rev Mathew Matthew Hassan could still find the time for a lengthy homily on his usual target, Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria.

    “For a man who has been spreading hate for decades, nothing new in the homily, except for the fact that while millions of Christians were remembering the Lord’s crucifixion on Friday, His descent on Saturday, His resurrection on Sunday, and subsequent appearance to His disciples, Bishop Matthew Kukah was playing politics.

    Kukah in response to the allegation of always dabbling in politics and spreading hate against President Muhammadu Buhari said:

    “The accliamed prosperous government”is falling before their eyes. Yet, they are blind to see.

    “Nepotism is evil because it denies you the opportunity to hear other voices,” Kukah told the trio of Garba Shehu (Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity), Femi Adeshina (Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President) and Lai Mohammed (Information minister).

    Bishop Kukah asks Garba Shehu specifically if he is”a closet Christian” for quoting bibles he doesn’t understand.

    The cleric further challenged Garba, Adeshina and Mohammed to any venue of their choice for an open debate to talk about what the achievements of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari has been since the administration took reins of government.

  • Nigeria now a fully occupied emergency hospital – Bishop Kukah

    Nigeria now a fully occupied emergency hospital – Bishop Kukah

    The Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has described Nigeria as a country that has become one big emergency national hospital with full occupancy.

    In his Easter Message on Sunday titled, ‘To mend a broken nation: The Easter metaphor’, Kukah noted that every aspect of life in Nigeria has been destroyed while corruption is enthroned.

    He said, “Our dear country, Nigeria, still totters and wobbles as we screech towards a dangerous and avoidable canyon of dry bones.

    “One would be tempted to ask, what is there to say about our tragic situation today that has not been said? Who is there to speak that has not spoken? Like the friends of Job, we stare at an imponderable tragedy as the nation unravels from all sides. The government has slid into hibernation mode.

    “It is hard to know whether the problem is that those in power do not hear, see, feel, know, or just don’t care. Either way, from this crossroad, we must make a choice, to go forward, turn left or right or return home. None of these choices is easy, yet, guided by the light of the risen Christ, we can reclaim our country from its impending slide to anarchy.

    “The challenge of fixing this broken nation is enormous and, as I have said, requires joint efforts. Our individual hearts are broken. Our family dreams are broken. Homes are broken. Churches, Mosques, and infrastructure are broken. Our educational system is broken. Our children’s lives and future are broken.

    “Our politics is broken. Our economy is broken. Our energy system is broken. Our security system is broken. Our Roads and Rails are broken. Only corruption is alive and well.

    “The greatest challenge for Nigeria is not even the 2023 elections. It is the prospect for the reconciliation of our people. Here, the Buhari administration sadly has divided our people on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and region, in a way that we have never witnessed in our history.

    “This carefully choreographed agenda has made Nigerians vulnerable and ignited the most divisive form of identity consciousness among our people. Years of friendships, cultural exchange, and collaboration built over time have now come under serious pressure from stereotyping.”

    He added: “We need to start thinking of a Nigeria beyond banditry and kidnapping and the endless circles of violence that have engulfed our communities and nation. We cannot continue to pretend that there are no religious undertones to the violence in the name of God that has given our religions a bad name.

    “The way out is for the state to enforce the secular status of the Nigerian state so as to give citizens the necessary freedoms from the shackles of semi-feudal confusion over the status of religion and the state in a plural Democracy. We must be ready to embrace modernity and work out how to preserve our religions and cultures without turning religion into a tool for tyranny, exclusion, and oppression.

    “I cannot be against a repentant sinner or criminals changing their ways. After all, the doors of forgiveness must always remain open. However, in this case, Nigerians have very little information as to the entire rehabilitation process. Have these terrorists felt the heat or have they seen the light or, is their repentance a mere strategic and tactical repositioning? So far, we have no evidence that these terrorists have been able to confront their victims not to talk of seeking forgiveness from them. Something is wrong.

    “We see these terrorists adorned in our national colours in their green and white kaftans, trousers, and looking like heroes of the state! Are we to assume that they have become acknowledged models for Nigerian youth? Perhaps the next graduating set might be treated to Presidential handshakes, receptions at the villa with full national colours

  • I criticise Buhari’s government for two reasons – Bishop Kukah

    I criticise Buhari’s government for two reasons – Bishop Kukah

    Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese has explained that his criticisms of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is not personal.

    Kukah told those who frown at his position that he has no apologies to make. He said he had, even before Buhari assumed the leadership mantle in 2015, been a critic of the policies of his predecessors.

    The cleric, who also regretted that politicians were holding Nigeria hostage, however, said he was peeved by the Buhari government on two grounds: the quantum of loss of lives in the country and nepotism.

    Kukah spoke yesterday with journalists at the Saint Bakhita Catholic, Secretariat, Sokoto, on activities to mark the end of 2021.

    He said those who see him as an ardent critic of Buhari were taking drugs for another person’s headache.

    He said: “All that I have been clamouring for, are not personal. There are two issues that bother me with this administration. One is the quantum of loss of lives and I don’t think, there is anybody who is happy about this.

    “The second is the allocation of position with favouritism and nepotism. One thing lacking in this administration is the inability to manage our sense of diversity. I have always been a critic of government before this administration and I stand on my challenge to those who don’t reason along with me, to counter my position with superior argument.

    “Nigerians are still to learn how to disagree on the disagreeable; we are still to learn how to debate without argument and, we are still to agree that some of our best friends are those that criticize us. Criticism is not an abuse, it is what purifies democracy.”

  • Bishop Kukah explodes again: Northern Nigeria under grip of evil, gradually turning into ‘Arewanistan’

    Bishop Kukah explodes again: Northern Nigeria under grip of evil, gradually turning into ‘Arewanistan’

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Dr. Matthew Kukah, yesterday expressed fresh frustration at the unrelenting security challenge in the north where he said a “catalogue of unprecedented cruelty has been unleashed on innocent citizens.”

    He feared the region could soon become Arewanistan in view of the persistent killings.

    “In their sleep, on their farmlands, in their markets, or even on the highway, innocent citizens have been mowed down and turned into burnt offerings to gods of evil,” an angry Kukah said in his Christmas message entitled ‘A nation still in search of truth and vindication’.

    “Communities have been turned into gulags of misery, death, pain and perfidy. We must move quickly before Arewa, our beloved Arewa, descends into Arewanistan,” he added.

    Kukah recalled how he was heavily slammed in parts of the north when he first criticized the federal government’s handling of the security situation in that part of the country last year.

    He said: “At about this time last year when I raised the alarm about the perilous state of affairs in northern Nigeria, all kinds of accusations were levelled against me, especially by my northern brethren.

    “When the Catholic Bishops protested openly against the killings of our people in March 2020, we were accused of acting against government with religious motives being imputed to our noble intentions. Now, we are fully in the grip of evil.

    “Today, a feeling of vindication only saddens me as I have watched the north break into a cacophony of quarrelsome blame games over our tragic situation.”

    Urging President Muhammadu Buhari to speak on the situation, Kukah said: “Tales and promises about planned rescues have since deteriorated into mere whispers. Nothing expresses the powerlessness of the families like the silence of state at the federal level.

    “Today, after over seven years, our over one hundred Chibok Girls are still marooned in the ocean of uncertainty.

    “Over three years after, Leah Sharibu is still unaccounted for. Students of the Federal Government College, Yauri, and children from Islamiyya School, Katsina are still in captivity. This does not include hundreds of other children whose captures were less dramatic.

    “We also have lost count of hundreds of individuals and families who have been kidnapped and live below the radar of publicity. We have before us a government totally oblivious to the cherished values of the sacredness of life.

    “The silence of the federal government only feeds the ugly beast of complicity in the deeds of these evil people who have suspended the future of entire generations of our children.

    “Every day, we hear of failure of intelligence, yet, those experts who provide intelligence claim that they have always done their duty diligently and efficiently.

    “Does the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not believe that he owes parents and citizens answers as to where our children are and when they are coming home?

    “Does the President of Nigeria not owe us an explanation and answers as to when the abductions, kidnappings, brutality, senseless, and endless massacres of our citizens will end? When will our refugees from Cameroon, Chad or Niger return home? We need urgent answers to these questions.

    “While I commend the efforts of our security men and women, I call on the President, in collaboration with the governors who are doing their best to preserve and protect their people to develop a more honest, open and robust strategy for ending the humiliation of our people and restoring social order to our people. We have borne enough humiliation as communities and a country.”

    Kukah paid tribute to several northern Christians who, he said, have either been killed or kidnapped for their faith.

    His words: “When Michael Nnadi, our teenage Seminarian from Sokoto Diocese, stared down the nozzle of the guns of terrorists and called them to repentance, he knew he was signing his signature with the blood of martyrdom.

    “When Mrs. Bolanle Ataga, a Kaduna-based housewife of a medical doctor, defied the evil hands of the head of her captors who sought to violate her honour in exchange for freedom, she knew she was signing her signature with the blood of martyrdom.

    “When Lawan Andimi, leader of the Christian community in Michika, Adamawa State stretched out his neck and was slaughtered by his abductors because of his faith, he knew that his blood would flow into the ocean of those martyrs who have gone before him.

    “When our dear Leah Sharibu raised her voice against the advice of her young Muslim friends who loved her dearly and wanted her to deny being a Christian, she, like Jesus, acted in defiance but she knew what awaits her in a new Jerusalem, the capital of martyrdom.

    “Their heroic witnesses re-echo the defiance of the Apostles who said: We must obey God rather than men.”

    He asked religious leaders to stand firm in the face of what he called the injustice in the country, saying: “When the politicians embark on outright favouritism or nepotism, we must not be carried away by the belief that our religion is being favoured.

    “Religious leaders must stand together and condemn lack of fairness to any group because the powerful and the powerless all need to be saved.”

    On the polity, especially the Electoral Amendment Bill which President Buhari recently declined to sign into law, Kukah asked the National Assembly to “quickly take notice of the observations made by the President on the issues of Direct or Indirect Primaries and return the Bill to the President for assent.

    “I believe that the President’s heart is still in the right place and we should focus on the serious issues,” he said.

    He told the youths to “seize the moment by coming out to register and be ready to vote.

    “Endsars protests and the aftermath should be a mere punctuation mark in the sentences and chapters of our struggle for a better society.

    “There is a lot to live for in this country. There is a lot for our Youth to dream about.

    “The spirit of Christmas should be seen as a spirit of renewal. Be courageous, because we shall turn the corner together.”

  • Insecurity: All we get from Buhari after our people are killed is empty statements – Bishop Kukah

    Insecurity: All we get from Buhari after our people are killed is empty statements – Bishop Kukah

    Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah on Saturday said the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government need to show more empathy after the mindless killings by gunmen across the country.

    He said rather than just issue statements, the president need to act like he felt the pain of the people.

    The outspoken cleric also President Buhari should have spoken with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, last week, and not US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.

    The bishop however, said “half bread is better than nothing”, adding that the meeting is a sign that Nigeria is going somewhere.

    Kukah spoke at the 2021 edition of The Platform, an annual conference organised by the Senior Pastor of the Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos, Poju Oyemade.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Buhari in a virtual meeting on Tuesday met Blinken and had asked for the support of the Biden administration to tackle the security menace in Nigeria.

    Buhari, who warned of a likely spill over of insecurity to neighbouring West African states, also called on the US to consider relocating US Africa Command from Stuttgart, Germany, to Africa, nearer the Theatre of Operation.

    Speaking on Saturday, Kukah said, “Of course, all of us are angry but in my view, the challenge therefore is what kind of palliative do we need to calm our nerves and I am not talking here of the palliatives in the way and manner that we understand them but something needs to happen to send out a signal to Nigerians that things are under control.

    “With the fact that we have the US Secretary of State speaking to us virtually, we would have preferred that our President spoke to the President of America rather than the Secretary of State but anyway, half bread is better than nothing.

    “I want to assure that this is a sign that we are going somewhere but we need to quickly get our people together, the need to rally our people together both to support government and otherwise is very urgent and we cannot do this if our country is divided between those who love the party and those who don’t love the party. We are in a democracy and we want to believe that this democracy has to be nurtured and the best we can do is not to subvert the process but to continue to uphold the ideals before those who are in power.”

    “On the issue of Nigerians dying, government has come very short and this is what is increasing the pain, the agony, the sorrow of people that we are dying alone, burying our people alone and all we get are just simple statements that really say nothing to us. The lack of empathy and the deployment of empathy have two consequences.

    “Government must have a sense of empathy and I have said this severally and I do not mean anything negative and everywhere you turn, this is what Nigerians are saying that people are dying and you do not get a sense that those who govern us understand our pain because we have not seen them on condolence visits.

    “Empathy is not sympathy, empathy is at the heart of who we are as human being; it is the feeling of the sorrow, of the pain of the other person, indeed, entering the skin of the other person, it does not bring healing meeting but there is a certain kind of psychological comfort that it gives,” the cleric added.

  • The voice of Bishop Kukah crying in the wilderness, By Owei Lakemfa

    By Owei Lakemfa

    EASTER is a season of peace. But what peace can there be when evil struts the land in the garb of bandits and terrorists maiming and killing? What peace can be proclaimed over a land in which even state governors with full security complement are being attacked?

     

    It was, therefore, logical for the reflective Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, in his 2021 Easter Homily to address these issues and those of deficit governance that engender them. He lamented that the country has become a massive killing field with people seeking solace and protection, but that frustration and darkness threaten to drown them. So he asked the pertinent question: Is the government on AWOL?

     

    Kukah regretted that: “When governments face legitimacy crises, they fall back on serving the sour broth of propaganda, half-truths and outright lies. They manufacture consent by creating imaginary enemies, setting citizens against one another by deploying religion, ethnicity, region and other platforms while appealing to the base emotions of patriotism.”

     

    He noted that the Buhari government’s war against corruption “has not moved the needle of transparency forward.” Kukah, believing that we shall know the truth, and the truth shall set us free, said: “We forget the reality that without truth, the throne of power often turns into a cage, and the occupant is turned into a prisoner. In reality, the truth needs neither a judge nor a witness. The truth is its own judge and witness. Without the truth, as the old song says, all else is sinking sand!” His conclusion is that the marked rise in the frustration curve across the country, is that Nigerians’ cup of sorrow is permanently full.

     

    The Bishop who does not oppose the call of sinners to righteousness, argues that it is reprehensible for this government to invest billions of naira rehabilitating so-called repentant bandits and terrorists in the belief that they would change while refusing succour to their victims. He lamented that thousands of these victims are left to cry alone and bury their loved ones alone, yet government expects them to be patriotic. He added: “A critical deficit of empathy on the side of government makes healing almost impossible for the victims. We have not heard anything about a rehabilitation programme for the thousands of schoolchildren who have been victims of abduction. We seem to assume that their return to their schools is sufficient. Left unaddressed, the traumatic effect of their horrors will haunt them for a long time. Tomorrow’s parents, military generals, top security men and women, governors, senators, and ministers will come from today’s pool of traumatised children. The security quandary is the greatest indictment of this government.”

     

    But the Buhari Presidency which is allergic to criticism says the Bishop’s comments are ungodly. Its Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, declared that Bishop Kukah “… did not speak like a man of God”.

     

    I chuckled when specifically, on the issue of lack of empathy for the victims of terrorism, the Buhari spokesman said: “An administration that has created a whole Ministry, for the first time in the country’s history, appropriating enormous resources to it, to deal with issues of internally displaced persons cannot, in all rightfulness be accused of not caring for them.” Do we need to remind these Buhari people once again, that Nigerians are no morons? It was General Idi Amin, the infamous human butcher of Uganda who set up his country’s human rights commission. Under his leadership, Uganda was a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 1977-79. Did these facts mean he respected human rights? In Nigeria, General Sani Abacha, the most infamous violator of human rights in our country who set up killer squads which murdered innocent citizens like Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, was the same person who established the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria in 1995. Did that fact mean he respected human rights?

     

    The Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Ministry the Buhari government says it set up for victims, is the same agency that claims to have fed school children during the COVID-19 lockdown. Until today, it has been unable to explain to Nigerians how it was able to spend billions of naira feeding school children who were on lockdown at home. Just as setting up the Niger Delta Development Commission in 2000 and a whole Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in 2008 has not meant Nigerian leaders are interested in the development of the Niger Delta, so does the establishment of the Disaster Ministry not mean the government has empathy for victims. In fact, it is better to prevent the minting of Internally Displaced Persons than establishing a Ministry to display empathy.

     

    Bishop Kukah reminds me of Elijah, the furious prophet who spoke truth to power. When accused of being ungodly like the Buhari government has accused Kukah, Elijah challenged the false prophets to a contest and then courageously told the powerful King Ahab that his actions will not go unpunished.

    Breaking the mirror Kukah has placed before the Presidency does not matter. Even if the Presidency breaks all the mirrors in the country or declares owning a mirror of treasonable felony, that would not change the true image of the Buhari government. What the mirror does is to reflect reality; so it is not true when Buhari’s spokespersons talk about versions of the truth. It is a disingenuous way of plagiarising Trump.

     

    It is not just the Presidency that deliberately misrepresents Kukah’s messages, including claiming that he is inviting an unconstitutional change of power. It is not only government that is threatening the Bishop, there are legions of its minions doing the same. In fact, one group demanded that Kukah be forced out of Sokoto. But I have known Kukah since the mid-1980s after he had planted his ‘Mustard Seed’ in our country’s soil; he was a patriotic and courageous soldier of the masses who has risen to become a full general of the people and the truth. It will, therefore, be foolhardy for tired non- commissioned soldiers like Garba Shehu to think they can intimidate or frighten him.

     

    We need to ignore such jobbers and face the real issues in the country. The fact is that there are leaks in the Nigerian ship and we are taking in water, but the Buhari government insist we listen to the discordant tunes being played by its band on the deck, and claims that Nigerians like Kukah who cannot appreciate the cacophony it calls music, are enemies of the Federal Republic. But like Uthman Dan Fodio is quoted to have said: “Conscience is an open wound, only truth can cure it.”