Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Mathew Kukah has again taken a swipe at Nigerian leaders accusing them of rushing to ‘holy land’ for forgiveness after looting the nation’s resources dry.
Recall that the outspoken cleric in his Christmas Day Message slammed the President Muhammadu Buhari’s admnistration of insecurity and nepotism.
In Tuesday’s sermon at the funeral mass for Archbishop Peter Yariyock Jatau, the pioneer indigenous Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, Kaduna, Rev. Kukah spoke against corruption in government.
He described Nigeria as a “wasteland” and “a nation at war with itself”.
Referring to the reaction to his Christmas message, Rev. Kukah said he would not keep quiet when things are going wrong.
In the sermon titled: ‘A nation in search of its soul, the Bishop said: “The duty and responsibility of government is the security and welfare of its citizens. The Priest is a watchman, one whose duty is to watch over the city and to raise his voice whenever he sights danger. He calls on those who lead to remain faithful to their duties.”
“Today, our dear nation is like the proverbial farmer searching for his black goat. He has to do it with a sense of urgency because darkness is setting in as the sun quickly recedes. Our nation has become one huge waste land, huge debris of the deceit, lies, treachery, double dealing and duplicity.
“Nigerian politics has become a huge trojan horse, a hoax, a hall of guile and dissimulation. The levels of frustration are rising by the day and we can see all this in the rise in domestic violence and intercommunal conflicts. A combination of all these has turned us unto a nation at war with itself.
“Nigerians complain that the country is full of Churches and Mosques and they cannot find the values of these religions in everyday life. We sin at home by stealing the nation’s resources but we seek repentance and forgiveness in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem in the guise of lesser or higher pilgrimages.
“Our duty is to reject the notion of corrupt governments that somehow, the Lord has not provided for every society. When they call for us to tighten our belts because there is recession, that oil prices have fallen, that there are problems with balance of payments and so on.
“The Priest at the duty post must say what he can see, namely, that when those who preside over the affairs issue a bad check, it must be resisted, that when they pretend that the society faces bankruptcy, or that there are insufficient funds, we must reject these and insist on the equitable use of the resources for the common good of all.
“We make money from abandoning projects duly paid for by governments which have adopted Contractocracy as a governance mechanism. We are allowing others to use our money to develop their own infrastructure. Our elites all assembled in Dubai for Christmas and also to welcome the new year.
“As virtue recedes into the sunset in our country, there is an urgent need for us to pause and take stock of what is required to save our country,” Kukah said.
The Cleric who took time to speak about the achievements to the late Archbishop Jatau, said the late clergyman took over the mantle of leadership, raised the bar and by sheer diplomatic efficiency and sought to forge and strengthen a viable relationship between Church and State.
“So, tonight, our prayers for him is similar to that issued by Cardinal Ratzinger at the funeral of the late Pope John Paul 11 when he said: Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Like Stephen, may the gates of heaven stand erect till you have passed through.”
